ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has left for the United States to attend the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meetings, the Pakistani finance ministry said on Saturday, with Islamabad seeking an early staff-level agreement with the IMF.
Pakistan secured a $7 billion, 37-month Extended Fund Facility in Sept. last year, followed by a $1.4 billion, 28-month Resilience and Sustainability Facility in May, to bankroll its economy.
The IMF this week said the two sides have made “significant progress” toward a staff-level agreement on reviews of the South Asian country’s $8.4 loans, the lender said late Wednesday.
Aurangzeb on Friday reaffirmed that talks with the IMF mission remained constructive, with only a few outstanding issues, and expressed optimism about reaching a deal shortly during his meetings in Washington.
“Aurangzeb will meet with senior officials of the IMF, World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) during his visit to the US,” the finance ministry said.
