Representatives of the International Monetary Fund will visit Pakistan soon to discuss a possible financial aid package, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde announced in a statement on Thursday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th October, 2018) Representatives of the International Monetary Fund will visit Pakistan soon to discuss a possible financial aid package, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde announced in a statement on Thursday.
"An IMF team will visit Islamabad in the coming weeks to initiate discussions for a possible IMF-supported economic program," Lagarde said after a meeting with Pakistani Finance Minister Asad Umar and State Bank Governor Tariq Bajwa on the sidelines of the IMF annual meeting in Indonesia.
She added that the senior Pakistani economic officials requested financial assistance to help Islamabad tackle its economic challenges.
The DAWN newspaper reported earlier in the day that Pakistan's desired loan package could reach $8 billion, while the IMF conditions could include requesting the government to expand tax measures and boost gas and electricity tariffs.
Pakistan has received 12 loan packages from the IMF since the late 1980s, while the last one, amounting to $6.6 billion, was allocated in 2013.
On Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the country would be able to overcome the crisis if it received $10-12 billion.
