IMF mission arrives in Pakistan for economic review talks

The initial talks will focus on the current account, policy rate and exchange rate, while SBP officials will brief the delegation on the country’s economic performance. Pakistan will brief the IMF mission on its foreign exchange reserves, which have crossed the $17 billion mark, as well as an increase in foreign direct investment.

The delegation will also be briefed on the successful issuance of the Eurobond and funds received from external sources. Following discussions with the State Bank, the IMF mission will move to Islamabad for talks with the Finance Ministry, Federal Board of Revenue, Ministry of Energy and other relevant departments.

The talks are expected to continue for around two weeks and will cover economic developments and programme performance up to June 2026. Discussions will also focus on structural benchmarks and targets linked to Pakistan’s economic reform programme.

Energy-sector reforms will be among the key issues discussed during the review.

The two sides are expected to review targets related to circular debt in the electricity and gas sectors, along with other structural and fiscal measures., successful completion of the review could make Pakistan eligible for around $1 billion under the EFF and a further $200 million under the RSF, taking the potential combined disbursement to about $1.2 billion.

Pakistan entered the 37-month, $7 billion EFF programme in September 2024. The current discussions constitute the fourth review of the EFF and the third review under the RSF.