Updated on
Summary
President Asif Ali Zardari said that the country will continue to pursue economic reform agenda despite constraints. He urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to continue its economic support for flood-hit Pakistan. He was talking to Masood Ahmed, Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department IMF at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. The President said the government was making efforts to evolve a consensus on the proposed tax reforms and other issues relating to the economy. However, being the democratic government it has to reduce to the difficulties that the people were facing due to economic constraints. He said the government was taking all the political forces and other stakeholders on board on all economic measures that had to be taken under the prevailing economic scenario. IMF Director for Middle East and Central Asia Department Masood Ahmed emphasized the need for stabilizing economy and appreciated that the Government and its economic managers were conscious of this and had already taken some measures for stabilizing economy. Masood Ahmed was accompanied by IMF officials Adnan Mazaeri and Paul Roass. Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Finance Minister, Salman Faruqui, Secretary General to the President, Dr. Nadeem-ul-Haq Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Shahid H. Kardar, Governor State Bank, Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State for Economic Affairs and other senior officials represented the Pakistan side.
