Daily Times

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said that the government is looking for a mechanism to receive all $2.6 billion stalled funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Speaking to a private TV channel on Tuesday, he said that the nation will soon hear “good news” regarding stalled bailout package as the “next one or two days are important”. “We are trying our best to complete the 9th [IMF] review and the nation will receive good news soon,” the financial czar added. Dar said that the IMF had demanded that the key policy rate be raised to 22% and that the review “will be done.” He said the previous PTI-led government violated the IMF agreement and emphasised the need for the charter of economy to steer the country of out of the economic crisis. “We all should happily give sacrifices for the country,” Dar said adding that the country is facing a challenging situation. He said outsourcing airports and the Charter of Economy would be made to facilitate the people. Austerity measures have already been taken to minimize expenditure and run the affairs of civil service in a befitting manner, he said. Ishaq Dar said the government has increased the salaries of public employees to lower the financial burden on them and added that the government had also provided maximum relief to people by reducing the prices of petroleum products. In reply to a question about judges’ salaries, he said a 20 per cent increase would be made and in this regard, a summary has been forwarded to higher authorities for necessary approval.

To a question about international flights, he said an amendment is being made to civil aviation laws so that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) could fly to the United Kingdom by September this year. He said PIA flights had to face billions of rupees in losses due to the mismanagement of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s regime. Commenting on imports of Russian oil, he said Bulk Storage Facility Policy would be announced by Dr Musadiq Malik and the nation would have good news in that regard.