Former Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan has urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to provide a "guarantee" that the scheduled general elections in the country will be held on time. This request was made during a meeting between Khan and an IMF delegation in Lahore, ahead of the IMF executive board's review of the Standby Arrangement (SBA) for Pakistan.
As per reports from Geo News, the IMF delegation met with Khan to seek assurance and support for the objectives and policies outlined in the recently announced USD 3 billion bailout program. Pakistan and the IMF had reached a staff-level agreement on June 29 to inject the much-needed Standby Arrangement into the country's struggling economy after extensive negotiations.
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During the meeting, Khan raised concerns about the general elections scheduled for October and asked the IMF for assurance that they would take place as planned. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader questioned, "What guarantee can you (IMF) give that the elections in the country will be held on time?"
In response, the IMF representatives acknowledged their monitoring of the situation in Pakistan but mentioned that they cannot interfere extensively in internal political matters. They assured Khan that the short-term bailout package has been designed to facilitate a smooth transition of power within the constitutionally-mandated time period, according to insider sources.
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The meeting was attended virtually by IMF country chief Nathan Porter from Washington, along with the physical presence of Resident Representative Ester Perez Luis. The IMF's engagement with political parties ahead of the national elections has drawn criticism within Pakistan, with some leaders considering it interference in domestic affairs.
However, IMF's resident representative, Esther Perez Ruiz, clarified in a statement that the purpose of the meetings with political parties was to "seek assurances of their support for the key objectives and policies under a new IMF-supported program ahead of the approaching national elections."
The IMF executive board is scheduled to convene on July 12 to review the Standby Arrangement (SBA) for Pakistan, while keeping an eye on the country's political developments as it navigates towards the upcoming general elections.
