Muhammad Asad
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Board on Monday approved the revival of Pakistan’s Extended Fund Facility Programme (EFF).
Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail, in a tweet, said now Pakistan would receive the 7th and 8th tranches of $1.17 billion from the IMF.
“Alhamdolillah the IMF Board has approved the revival of our EFF program. We should now be getting the 7th & 8th tranche of $1.17 billion.” Miftah thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for taking so many tough decisions and saving Pakistan from default. He also congratulated the nation on the good news.
Meanwhile during a hurriedly organized news conference on Monday, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail busted at the PTI leadership for their nefarious attempt to bulldoze the Pakistan-IMF deal for the revival of the long-awaited Extended Facility Fund (EFF) Program which was scheduled to get a nod of the top brass of the global lender in IMF Board meeting on August 29.
Finance Minister said that the coalition government put all its political assets at stake by taking tough decisions to rescue the country from bankruptcy. Miftah Ismail was of the view that the PTI government had practically dragged the national economy to default, and all political pandits and senior leadership of PML-N were not in the favor of taking over the government, however, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accepted this challenge and rescued the country from grave threat of bankruptcy by his hard work and dedication over the past four months.
Finance Minister lamented the PTI leadership for his heinous role in scratching the IMF deal, while writing a letter to the IMF about the noncooperation of the PTI-led governments in KP and Punjab just 72 hours before the meeting of the IMF board. According to him, PTI had crossed all its limits just for one point agenda of bringing power-hungry Imran Khan to power by using all illegal, immoral, anti-State, and anti-public measures.He noted that Pakistan’s interests are sacred and above all things, and the coalition government will take all necessary steps to protect national interests.
While responding to a media query regarding outstanding dues of the KP government, Miftah said that the Federal government will release all funds meant for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in addition, the Central government will take all necessary steps to improve the living standards of the people of Erstwhile FATA.
To another question, he said that the Federal government is open to all provinces and it will try its level best to remove all grievances of the federating units. However, the PTI leadership politicized the issue for its hidden motives and attempted to sabotage the IMF deal while PTI workers must take notice of the anti-state actions of their leaders which aims at hurting the nation instead of political rivals. Miftah said that the KP Finance Minister told him that he had not sent a letter to the IMF whereas the sources in the IMF categorically confirmed that KP’s letter at reached the IMF through which the KP government conveyed its inability to comply with the IMF deal.
To another media query, Miftah said that the crops and vegetables had been destroyed due to recurrent spells of flood across the country and the government can analyze the import of grains and vegetables from neighboring India for the benefit of the people.
While commenting on the Center’s working relationship with the KP, Miftah said that the Federal government will provide all due shares to the province however the PTI-led government has inducted over 54,000 employees in the province without allocating necessary funds which is grave negligence and crime against the province and its people.
