PM meets IMF chief and IDB President

During his meeting with Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director (MD) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Sunday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed the government’s commitment to restarting Pakistan’s economy.

According to a PM Office press release, the prime minister stated in the meeting held on the fringes of the World Economic Forum Special Meeting here that he had instructed his finance team, headed by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, to implement structural reforms, maintain strict fiscal discipline, and pursue prudent policies that would ensure macroeconomic stability and sustained economic growth.

He congratulated Georgieva for helping Pakistan obtain the soon-to-be-completed USD 3 billion Standby Arrangement (SBA) from the IMF last year.

Meanwhile,  Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, President of the Islamic  Development Bank (IDB), and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif decided on Sunday to expedite the conclusion of several IDB development projects in Pakistan. During his last  term in power, the prime minister commended the IDB for investing $1 billion in various uplift projects in Pakistan. According to a news statement from PM Office Media Wing, the prime minister received a call from the president of the IDB during the special World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting. Ministers Ishaq Dar of Foreign Affairs, Muhammad Aurangzeb of Finance and Revenues, Attaullah Tarar of Information and

Broadcasting, Dr. Musadik Malik of Petroleum, and Jam Kamal Khan of

Commerce were present at the meeting.