Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Ishaq Dar Monday blamed “technical reasons” behind the delay in the stalled International Monetary Fund programme’s revival, claiming that no strings were attached regarding the country’s nuclear programme to the loan.
Pakistan has been hosting an IMF mission since early February to negotiate the terms of the deal, including the adoption of policy measures to manage its fiscal deficit ahead of the annual budget due around June.
Senator Raza Rabbani had raised concerns about whether the delay in the staff-level agreement with the Fund has anything to do with the country’s strategic assets, including the nuclear and missile programmes. In response to Rabbani’s concerns, Dar had on the floor of the Senate stated that the coalition government would not compromise on its nuclear programme for reviving the stalled IMF loan facility.
But this prompted further speculation and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Vice Chairman and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also demanded an explanation from the government.
