Miftah Ismail sees IMF programme's revival within two days

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has expressed hope that the stalled International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) programme would be revived ‘within one or two days’, ARY News reported on Monday.

Talking to journalists at Parliament House, the federal minister said that he was hopeful that an agreement with the global lender for the revival of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) would be reached within one or two days.

“IMF has no relation with the increase in salaries. Also, the tax exemption to the people earning below 1.2 million [annually] will remain in place,” the finance minister said.

In response to a question, Miftah Ismail pointed out that the IMF has nothing to do with the increase in salaries of employees by 15 per cent. “Also, the tax exemption to the people earning below 1.2 million [annually] will remain in place,” he noted.

The finance minister added that the incumbent government aims at taxing the wealthy and providing relief to the poor through the budget for the fiscal year 2022-23.

It is pertinent to mention here that Minister of State for Finance Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha confirmed seeking United States support for revival of International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha has confirmed that Pakistan had reached out to the United States in a bid to revive $6 billion IMF programme.

Earlier, it was reported that Pakistan had sought support from the United States for the revival of the IMF programme as the global lender has not yet agreed to a staff-level pact despite the tough measures by the government.