Second round of Pakistan-IMF talks to be held in Washington

The next round of economic review talks between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be held in Washington, where Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and his economic team are set to engage in key policy negotiations this week.

According to sources, a staff-level agreement is expected if the discussions conclude successfully, paving the way for the release of the next $1.2 billion tranche under the ongoing IMF loan programme.

Officials said the Ministry of Finance is finalizing the visit schedule, with policy discussions to address outstanding issues left unresolved in the previous round of talks.

Earlier, the second half-yearly economic review between Pakistan and the IMF ended without a staff-level agreement, despite what both sides described as “constructive and positive” discussions.

A joint statement had acknowledged Pakistan’s strong implementation of IMF programme conditions, but the lender urged the government to take additional measures to ensure fiscal discipline, strengthen governance, and sustain macroeconomic stability.

The IMF also called for maintaining a tight monetary policy to contain inflation, continuing regular tariff adjustments, and advancing energy sector reforms to reduce losses.