LAHORE: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said a staff-level agreement for a crucial bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was “very close” and expected in the next 24 hours. Pakistan is racing against time to unlock at least $1.1 billion under the lender’s ninth review of a $6.5-billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed in 2019. The programme expires on Friday. “We are very close to signing a staff-level agreement with the IMF,” minister Ishaq Dar told Reuters late on Thursday. “I think it should come some time tonight or maximum within 24 hours. We have finalised everything.” A source familiar with talks told Reuters that Pakistan and the global lender were also in discussions for the release of the full $2.5 billion pending under the IMF programme. The source said the staff-level agreement was to set to initially unlock around $1.1 billion and then be followed by a “standby agreement” which could release the rest after the programme finishes on Saturday. A repres...
ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Thursday said that general elections in the country might be held ahead of February next year. While talking to a private news channel, PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar the Election Commission of Pakistan was the relevant forum to take a decision in this regard. The ECP was mandated to take a decision in this regard and the caretaker government would fulfil its constitutional obligation by extending all possible support to the ECP for holding elections, the prime minister expressed his views. To a question, the prime minister said that the Supreme Court was an apex body and if it announced any decision over the polls matter, it would be binding upon the interim government to implement its verdict in letter and spirit. Related: PML-N ‘opposes’ PPP’s requisition for Senate session “Let me assure, all the voters across the country, that they can choose the leadership of their choice with the power of their votes and there will...
In yet another online love story, a Filipino girl got married to her lover from Larkana Pakistan over a phone call. A Pakistan boy Auhfaq Sheikh hailing from Ghazi Abbas area of Larkana got married to his Filipino lover Maneka. The marriage event were organized at the bride’s and groom’s house and the Marriage registrar conducted their Nikah over phone call. The groom said that he met his lover through Facebook but she does not want to come to Pakistan and he failed to obtain Philippine visa before nikah. Read more: Indian man marries Pakistani woman online with all rituals Earlier, in another cross-border marriage story an Indian man and a Pakistani woman created a lot of buzz on social media. A bride from Pakistan’s Karachi and a groom from Rajasthan’s Jodhpur tied the knot online after the woman failed to obtain an Indian visa on time. The special online Nikah took place on Wednesday in Jodhpur. All the rituals of Nikah were performed virtually and a Qazi solemnised the marr...
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