Finance minister briefs IMF mission chief on govt efforts for economic uplift

Published March 27, 2019
IMF Mission Chief for Pakistan Ernesto Ramirez Rigo called on Finance Minister Asad Umar. Finance Secretary Mohammad Younus Dagha was also present. — APP
IMF Mission Chief for Pakistan Ernesto Ramirez Rigo called on Finance Minister Asad Umar. Finance Secretary Mohammad Younus Dagha was also present. — APP

Finance Minister Asad Umar on Tuesday met with International Monetary Fund's (IMF) new mission chief for Pakistan, Ernesto Ramirez Rigo, in Islamabad and apprised him of the measures taken by the government to revamp the economy.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance, discussions between the two focused on fiscal, monetary, and structural reforms as well as the energy sector.

The finance minister informed the IMF mission chief that the structural reforms and other economic initiatives introduced by the government were "yielding desired results", the statement said.

Umar also assured Rigo that "the government would continue to address the macroeconomic imbalances and would take necessary corrective measures in this regard".

Also read: Accord on $6bn IMF package likely by April

Adviser to the Prime Minister for Commerce, Textile and Industry Production Abdul Razak Dawood also met the IMF mission chief and informed him that the government had brought in various economic reforms for the promotion of industry and trade.

"We will soon launch the country's first national tariff policy," the advisor informed Rigo. He expressed confidence that the policy will help towards the betterment of the economy.

The IMF official during the discussion said that the economic reforms were a good step taken by the government. "I hope that corrective measures continue to be taken. This will bring improvements to the economy," he added.

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