—— Info Minister says govt has taken several initiatives to improve declining economy
QUETTA: Caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Friday confirmed that Pakistan was on the agenda of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) executive board next month.
The minister was commenting on a report published by Bloomberg, stating that the IMF board will meet on January 11 to consider final approval to disburse the next $700 million tranche from its current loan programme.
It was earlier reported that Pakistan’s case was absent from the board’s agenda.
Last month, IMF reached a staff-level pact with Pakistan on a $3 billion stand-by arrangement, the lender said, a decision long awaited by the South Asian nation which is teetering on the brink of default.
Addressing a press conference at the Quetta Press Club, Solangi said that the caretaker government has taken several initiatives to improve the declining economy of the country.
He said that the rupee appreciated against the dollar and the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) broke all records by reaching 66,000 points today. “This reflects our commitment and reforms in the economic sector,” the minister mentioned.
Balochistan Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai and President QPC Khaliq Rind were also present on the occasion.
The federal caretaker information minister reiterated that the country was all set to hold general elections on February 8, 2024. “No excuses… we are ready to hold fair and transparent elections as per the Constitution of Pakistan, Solangi stated.
He said that the caretaker government would provide all financial and administrative support to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold fair and transparent elections in the country. “We would hand over comparatively better government to the next administration after polls”, he maintained.
Solangi stated that he visited the PTV Bolan and on December 17, a Hazaragi language programme would also be launched. This was a long-standing demand of the Hazara community in Quetta, he added.
He stated that the present government was committed to addressing the issues faced by the QPC and journalists working in the province. “I am a journalist and I can realise the difficulties faced by the journalist community,” he stated. –Agencies
