Minister of State for Finance Aisha Ghaus Pasha on Wednesday said Nathan Porter, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Mission Chief to Pakistan, shouldn’t meddle in the nation’s political or domestic issues.
Talking to media persons, the minister also said the government has not received any “official communication” from the IMF.
“We are only looking at the official communiqué, and no such statement has been given by the IMF in written or during the meetings,” she said.
The statement attributed to Porter stated: “We take note of recent political developments, and while we do not comment on domestic politics, we do hope that a peaceful way forward is found in line with the Constitution and the rule of law.
“Sustaining strong policies and obtaining sufficient financing from partners remain key for Pakistan to maintain macroeconomic stability.
“To this end, IMF staff continues the engagement with the Pakistani authorities to pave the way for a Board meeting before the current program expires at end-June,” read the statement.
Following Imran’s detention, a similar speech about Pakistani politics was also made before.
Ghaus responded by calling the IMF’s comments “extraordinary” and stating that the international lender does not make such a statement “typically.”
“Considering that we (the government) are advocates of democracy, this is an astonishing event. We aim to advance the rule of law and have all institutions operate within the constraints of the constitution,” she said.
Pasha added that the government remains engaged with the IMF at the technical level, and progress is being made.
The state minister said that the upcoming budget would be in the interest of Pakistan.
