WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) chief, Kristalina Georgieva, has credited Pakistan’s strong implementation of its IMF programme for maintaining macroeconomic stability.
After she met Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb in Washington on the sidelines of the IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings, Georgieva posted on X: “Strong program[me] implementation has helped Pakistan maintain macroeconomic stability and build confidence.”
In its latest World Economic Outlook 2026, the IMF has also maintained Pakistan’s growth rate at 3.6% for FY26, which is lower than the officially envisaged target of 4.2% amid a downward revision in the global economic growth outlook in the wake of the ongoing war in the Gulf region.
Fitch Ratings also recently noted that Pakistan has made progress on fiscal consolidation and macro stability measures, broadly in line with its IMF programme and supporting its funding capacity.
The IMF and Pakistan reached a staff-level agreement (SLA) late in March, a key step toward unlocking $1.2 billion in funding — and once the Executive Board approves, the South Asian nation will have access to 1 billion under the Extended Fund Facility and $210 million under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility, bringing disbursements under the ongoing programme to $4.5 billion.
Under the $7 billion program, the Washington-based lender is urging Islamabad’s policymakers to keep monetary policy tight and data-dependent to anchor inflation expectations and strengthen external buffers.
In her X post, the IMF chief further mentioned: “Sound policies and deeper structural reforms remain key to sustaining growth and raising welfare for all Pakistanis.”
The Ministry of Finance noted that the IMF chief’s remarks reflect growing international recognition of Pakistan’s reform efforts and its commitment to maintaining economic stability through prudent policymaking.
