IMF 'turns deaf ear' to India's request

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has turned a deaf ear to India's demand to halt its loan programme for Pakistan.

IMF Resident Represen-tative in Pakistan Esther Perez Ruiz clarified in an informal conversation that the Fund's Executive Board will proceed with its agenda on May 9, and Pakistan's request will also be considered in that meeting. "We cannot comment on concerns raised by other countries," she said.

According to officials from the Ministry of Finance, the country is expected to receive a $2.3 billion package from the IMF during the meeting. The meeting is also expected to approve a $1.3 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) programme related to climate financing.

The funds will be disbursed in installments over a 28-month period to help Pakistan tackle climate change challenges. A staff-level agreement between Pakistan and the IMF was reached on March 25.

Earlier, media reports citing a foreign news agency stated that an Indian government official had urged the IMF to review its financial assistance to Pakistan. However, no further details were provided about the demand.

Meanwhile, Khurram Shehzad, adviser to the finance minister, told a foreign news agency that the IMF programme is progressing in the right direction and the recent review has been successfully completed.