Pakistan signs pact with France for $107m debt suspension.

Pakistan and France have signed an agreement for the suspension of loans amounting to $107 million under the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), the Economic Affairs Division said on Monday.

In a press release, the Economic Affairs Division said the amount, initially repayable between July and December 2021, would now be repaid over a period of six years - including a one-year grace period - in semi-annual instalments.

The agreement was signed by Ministry of Economic Affairs Secretary Mian Asad Hayaud Din and French Ambassador Nicolas Galey, the statement said.

"The government of Pakistan has already signed agreements with the French Republic for suspension of $261m. Due to the support extended by the development partners of Pakistan, the G20 DSSI has provided the fiscal space which was necessary to deal with the urgent health and economic needs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan," the statement added.

The total amount of debt that has been suspended and rescheduled under the DSSI framework, covering the period from May 2020 to December 2021, stands at $3,688m.

"Pakistan has already concluded and signed 93 agreements with 21 bilateral...