As Pakistan grapples with devastating floods, a senior IMF official has confirmed an upcoming mission will evaluate if the country’s financial and emergency plans are adequate to handle the crisis, shortly after the finance minister signalled talks with the lender for relief.

An IMF team is expected in Pakistan by the end of the month for a review mission, Finance Minister Muhammad Aur­angzeb has said, stressing that discussing flood-related financial needs with the IMF was a necessary step.

“There is nothing wrong with asking the IMF about the relief, because we are in the fund programme,” Aurangzeb said during a visit to flood-affected areas in Kamalia. “The IMF responded very responsibly and the prime minister announced the relief.”

“Damage assessments are currently underway, and these are very important — not only for our talks with the IMF but also with other financial organisations,” he said.

Read more here:

Click to see more