ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are scheduled to begin talks on September 22 for the fourth review of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), with discussions expected to continue for around two weeks.
The review talks will be held in Karachi and Islamabad and will be conducted alongside the IMF’s Article IV consultation, which is being undertaken after a two-year gap. The last Article IV consultation was completed in September 2024.
IMF Resident Mission Chief Mahir Binci confirmed that an IMF mission is expected to visit Pakistan in the coming weeks for the next programme review and Article IV consultations. He said such review missions typically last about two weeks.
Pakistani officials have also confirmed that the IMF mission is expected to arrive in Islamabad soon.
As part of preparations for the review, the government has provided the IMF with revised and updated monthly and annual import data after discrepancies amounting to billions of dollars were identified in previously submitted figures.
The IMF mission is also expected to examine Pakistan’s implementation plan based on the Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment (GCD) report.
Article IV consultations are conducted by the IMF to assess the economic and financial policies of member countries. The findings are submitted to the IMF Executive Board and subsequently made public alongside the programme review report.
The upcoming discussions will form part of the fourth review of Pakistan’s $7 billion EFF programme.
