Grey-listing by FATF does not affect Pakistan's ability to borrow money: IMF deputy director

Tao Zhang also acknowledges that the structural financial reform agenda of Pakistan remains incomplete

The grey-listing of Pakistan by the global watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has no direct consequences for its ability to borrow from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a top official from IMF has told Press Trust of India (PTI).

The remarks comes days after the Paris-based 37-nation FATF placed Pakistan on the grey list last month. At the FATF meeting in Paris last month, JuD chief Hafiz Saeed and his charities were top on the list of the groups that the FATF wanted Pakistan to act against.

“Any decision to list a country as a jurisdiction with strategic AML/CFT (Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism) deficiencies is the responsibility of the FATF only. I would note that a grey-listing has no direct consequences for a member country’s ability to borrow from the IMF,” Tao Zhang, IMF deputy managing director, told PTI.



At the same time, he also acknowledged that the structural reform agenda of Pakistan remains incomplete.

“Pakistan completed an IMF-supported programme under the Extended Fund Facility in September 2016. While the programme was successful in its objective of macroeconomic stabilisation, and some progress was made on structural reforms, the agenda remained incomplete,” Zhang said.

Early this week, the IMF noted with concern the weakening of the macroeconomic situation, including a widening of external and fiscal imbalances, a decline in foreign exchange reserves, and increased risks to Pakistan’s economic and financial outlook and its medium term debt sustainability.



In this context, they urged a determined effort by the authorities to refocus near term policies to preserve macroeconomic stability.

Projecting a GDP growth of 5.6% in 2017-2018, IMF executive board after concluding the first Post-Program Monitoring Discussions said that the continued erosion of macroeconomic resilience could put this outlook at risk.

Following significant fiscal slippages last year, the fiscal deficit is expected at 5.5% of GDP this year, with risks towards a higher deficit ahead of upcoming general elections. Surging imports have led to a widening current account deficit and a significant decline in international reserves despite higher external financing, it said.

The fiscal 2017-18 current account deficit could reach 4.8% of GDP, with gross international reserves further declining in a context of limited exchange rate flexibility. Against the background of rising external and fiscal financing needs and declining reserves, risks to Pakistan’s medium-term capacity to repay the fund have increased since completion of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement in September 2016, the IMF said.

This article originally appeared on Hindustan Times