On Wednesday, Pakistan’s central bank received $1.2 billion from International Monetary Fund as the first tranche of a $3 billion bailout to stabilise the economy.
Saudi Arabia pledged the money and then waited for the aid package from the International Monetary Fund to go ahead before depositing it with the State Bank of Pakistan.
IMF executive board is scheduled to meet on 12 July to approve $3 billion SBA with Pakistan. But there are doubts whether this will stave off default, or just push issue to 2024.
Pakistan PM Shebhaz Sharif has said arrangement will help 'strengthen foreign exchange reserves, enable Pakistan to achieve economic stability & sustainable economic growth'.
Islamabad has taken a slew of policy measures since an IMF team arrived in Pakistan earlier this year, including a revised 2023-24 budget last week to meet the lender's demands.
The meeting on the sidelines of the Global Financing Summit in Paris came with about a week left before the IMF's Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed in 2019 expires on 30 June.
The budget is being closely watched by the International Monetary Fund as the South Asian country seeks further bailout money during an economic and balance of payments crisis.
The country is reeling from an economic crisis with inflation surging to 37.97% in May, posting a record for the second consecutive month and also the highest in South Asia.
The staff-level agreement has been delayed since November, with more than 100 days gone since the last staff-level mission to Pakistan, the longest such delay since at least 2008.
Fauja Singh, 114, died after being hit by a speeding car. His death renews questions about India’s deadly roads, rising accidents, and poor traffic discipline.
Mini deal will likely see no cut in 10% baseline tariff on Indian exports announced by Trump on 2 April, it is learnt, but additional 26% tariffs are set to be reduced.
India-Russia JV is also racing to deliver 7,000 more AK-203 assault rifles by 15 Aug. These are currently being made with 50% indigenisation and this will surge to 100% by 31 December.
Public, loud, upfront, filled with impropriety and high praise sometimes laced with insults. This is what we call Trumplomacy. But the larger objective is the same: American supremacy.
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