Islamabad: Representatives of Pakistan government has begun policy level talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation in Islamabad. The talks are taking place after Pakistan formally requested IMF for financial assistance when its chief Christine Lagarde visited the country last month.
Quoting sources, Geo News reported on Monday that the IMF delegation was headed by Harald Finger. After technical talks where data pertaining to the performance of various sectors were presented, the deliberations ended on November 9. The talks will continue till November 20.
During talks, the IMF is reviewing the country’s monetary and fiscal policies as well as its monetary needs keeping in view the current account deficit of the country.
After reviewing the financial independence of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) along with the performance of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the IMF may also recommend a few measures that would help the country to increase their exports and tax receipts and boost the power sector.
Sources have also confirmed Geo News that during talks, Pakistan is likely to ask for a bailout package of up to USD 6 billion from the IMF. Pakistani delegation included Finance Secretary, FBR chairman, and SBP Governor Tariq Bajwa and other officials.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]