IMF mission to visit Pakistan by month's end for talks on 9th review: official.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation will be visiting Islamabad from January 31 to February 9 to continue discussions regarding the ninth review of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), an official said on Thursday.

Pakistan entered a $6 billion IMF programme in 2019, which was increased to $7bn last year. The programme's ninth review, which would release $1.18bn, is currently pending.

It had earlier been put off for two months due to the PML-N-led government's unwillingness to accept certain conditions placed before it by the Fund, and the disagreements have yet to be resolved.

However, it is pertinent to mention that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has indicated that the government is finally ready to swallow the bitter pill of the IMF's 'stringent' conditions to revive the loan programme.

In a statement released on Thursday, IMF Resident Representative for Pakistan Esther Perez Ruiz said: 'At the request of the authorities, an in-person Fund mission is scheduled to visit Islamabad [from] January 31 - February 9 to continue the discussions under the ninth EFF review.'

She said that the mission would focus on policies to restore domestic and external sustainability, including to strengthen the fiscal position with durable and high quality measures while supporting the vulnerable and those affected by the floods; restore the viability of the power sector and reverse the continued accumulation of circular debt; and re-establish the proper functioning of the foreign exchange market, allowing the exchange rate to clear the forex shortage.

'Stronger policy efforts and reforms are critical to reduce the current elevated uncertainty that weighs on the outlook, strengthen Pakistan's resilience, and obtain financing support from official partners and the markets...