ISLAMABAD : March 20,2023: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has categorically denied that it ever discussed or attached Pakistan’s nuclear or missile programme with a bailout package during last month talks with the authorities in Islamabad.
In a statement released to the media on Sunday, IMF resident representative in Islamabad Esther Perez Ruiz denied attaching any strings to the External Fund Facility (EFF).
“Regarding recent speculation that programme discussions with the authorities for the ninth review under the IMF-supported programme may have covered Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme, I want to be categoric that there is absolutely no truth to this or any insinuated link between the past or current IMF supported programme and decision by any Pakistani government over its nuclear programme,” the official said.
The IMF chief further said that the discussions have exclusively focused on economic policies to solve Pakistan’s economic and balance of payments problems, in line with the Fund’s mandate for promoting macroeconomic and financial stability.
Delay in reaching to an agreement with IMF for financial support of $ 1.2 billion had come under debate in the upper house of the parliament last week and in response to a volley of queries raised by the members of senate, Finance minister Ishaq Dar , had assured the house that there was no point of discussing Pakistan’s nuclear programme with the lender agency’s officials and hence the question of any compromise on Pakistan’s security does not exist.
Ishaq Dar’s argument in the Senate last week had created an impression in the media that Shahbaz Sharif government was going to compromise on Pakistan’s security for IMF bailout package.
Finance minister , Ishaq Dar, has issued a clarification of his statement given on the floor of the house.
In his clarification , Ishaq Dar said that IMF never attached Pakistan’s nuclear programme for bailout package . He said delay in signing an agreement with IMF was due to purely technical reasons.
