The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has demanded the government reduce the chances of corruption in the formulation of the policy and its implementation, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.
The IMF has also laid emphasis on reducing unnecessary influence on the policy formulation and its implementation.
Similarly, the Fund has also demanded the complete enforcement of the governance framework of the state-owned entities.
The IMF has said that these steps are necessary to improve the performance of institutions and reduce financial risks besides ensuring accountability and transparency.
Five days ago, 24News TV channel had reported that IMF had urged Pakistan to maintain inflation between 5-7 percent and said it would continue discussions over the next fiscal year’s federal budget in the upcoming days as its mission wrapped up its latest visit to the country.
An IMF mission, led by Nathan Porter, concluded its staff visit to Islamabad which began on May 19, 2025.
The visit focused on recent economic developments, programme implementation, and the budget strategy for the fiscal year (FY) 2026.
At the end of the visit, Porter on Saturday issued the following statement:
“We held constructive discussions with the authorities on their FY2026 budget proposals and broader economic policy, and reform agenda supported by the 2024 Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the 2025 Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The authorities reaffirmed their commitment to fiscal consolidation while safeguarding social and priority expenditures, aiming for a primary surplus of 1.6 percent of GDP in FY2026. Discussions focused on actions to enhance revenue—including by bolstering compliance and expanding the tax base—and prioritize expenditure. We will continue discussions towards agreeing over the authorities’ FY26 budget over the coming days.
Reporter: Waqas Azeem