Pakistan trying to get IMF loan rescheduled, says FM Qureshi

Foreign minister says the government is carefully monitoring coronavirus trends worldwide

MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said the federal government is trying to get loans – taken from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) – rescheduled in order to better deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

"The rescheduled amounts will be spent on issues that have emerged after the coronavirus outbreak," he said on Tuesday while addressing a meeting at the Circuit House in his hometown.

He said the government is carefully monitoring coronavirus trends at the international level and has constituted two subcommittees to deal with the crisis.

“I am leading one sub-committee which is working on maintaining and promoting contacts at the international level to deal with coronavirus related issues. The other committee, headed by Planning Minister Asad Umar, is focusing on lockdown situation and supply of food in the country,” he said.



Qureshi said the government is in contact with the European Union, G-77 and G-20 countries and is also contacting Pakistanis living abroad.

To a question, the foreign minister observed that Pakistan is playing its role for the lifting of international restrictions on Iran which is a regional epicenter of the viral disease. “Iran could not purchase even ventilators despite having money to buy them,” he added.

Qureshi said immense preparation is required to enforce a complete lockdown in the country. In China, about 60 million people underwent a complete lockdown. During this period, the Chinese mobilized over 45,000 workers for online supply of food items at people’s houses, he added.

He said the government will have to distribute meal at every doorstep in case of a complete lockdown.

Qureshi said the first meeting for the Corona Relief Tiger Force – a team of volunteers – would be held in Multan. Proper coordination could guarantee success of the force, he added.



The minister said every union council is comprised of six wards and the Tiger Force would be made in every ward. The volunteers of the Tiger Force would register names, ID card numbers, phone numbers and addresses of the laborers.

He urged the local parliamentarians and district administration to extend maximum cooperation for the success of the revolutionary programme of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Qureshi said the incumbent government has given a relief package of Rs1,200 billion, which is historic and the best in recent critical scenario.

“The government is well aware that it is wheat season and would surely facilitate wheat reaping and other operations including wheat procurement. The pandemic could be dealt effectively by forging unity. However, unfortunately, the opposition is busy in political point scoring,” he said.