The IMF review mission will start parleys with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Wednesday (today) and stay in Karachi this week to discuss inflation, monetary policy and exchange rate. The review mission would arrive in Islamabad on September 28 to start parleys with the Ministry of Finance, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and other ministries in order to accomplish the fourth review under the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
Top official sources confirmed that the IMF review mission was expected to arrive in Islamabad on September 28, provided normal situation prevailed in the federal capital. The upcoming review parleys will be coupled with the Article IV consultation, which will be undertaken by the IMF staff after a pause of three years; the last time the executive board consultation was held in September 2024. Article IV of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) outlines the legal obligations of member countries regarding their exchange arrangements and establishes the framework for the IMF to conduct regular economic health checks, known as Article IV Consultations.
The findings of Article IV consultation will be presented before the IMF Executive Board, and then they will be made public alongside the review report of the IMF after completion of the fourth review under the $7 billion EFF programme.