The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is seeking the support of major political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), for a recently announced $3 billion bailout programme. The IMF’s resident representative Esther Perez Ruiz said in a statement that the meetings with political parties were to “seek assurances of their support for the key objectives and policies under a new IMF-supported program ahead of the approaching national elections.” The country is scheduled to hold general elections by early November. The new bailout programme, a nine-month stand-by arrangement, is going to be taken up by the lender’s board on July 12. The IMF Executive Board is set to take up Pakistan’s SBA announced after a staff-level agreement last week in its meeting on July 12. Senior PTI leader and former finance minister Hammad Azhar confirmed that party’s economic team has been approached by the IMF to solicit its support for the loan agreement and its broad objectives. PTI's economic team has been approached by the IMF to solicit the party's support for the USD 3 BN Stand-By Agreement and its broad objectives.An IMF team will call on Party Chairman Imran Khan at Zaman Park this afternoon. Both PTI's economic team and the IMF team will join, in… — Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) July 7, 2023 “An IMF team will call on party Chairman Imran Khan at Zaman Park this afternoon,” he tweeted.