Daily Times

Minister for Finance and Revenue Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan is currently facing geopolitical pressures on the international stage, with attempts being made to push the country towards default. He said this while presiding over a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance. During the meeting, the minister briefed the participants regarding budget for FY2023-24 and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. Dar expressed his disappointment over the delay in the IMF programme, stating that the IMF team did not visit for a period of three months. He criticised the lack of professionalism behind the delay, highlighting that the ninth economic review, originally scheduled for the first week of November 2022, was affected as a result. “It seems like talks will be held after turning Pakistan into Sri Lanka,” Dar said and added the government can’t accept everything the IMF says. He said Pakistan is currently facing geopolitical pressures on the international stage, with attempts being made to push the country towards default. The finance minister went on to say that following the negotiations on February 9, all matters were successfully resolved, and mutual congratulations were exchanged for the negotiation’s success. However, he did not immediately release any official statements that evening. The statement was then issued the following morning, followed by a press conference to address the developments.