Tarin denies Pakistan sought concessions from IMF with help from US

Finance Minister Shaukat Tareen said Thursday he had been misquoted as saying that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had given concessions to Pakistan because of the United States.

Tareen, addressing a press conference in Islamabad to present the Pakistani Economic Survey for 2021-22, said that the US had, however,  set aside some funds for Pakistan for military training.

In any case, Pakistan had made it clear to the US that it did not need funds from Washington; rather, Islamabad seeks to promote trade with the country, he said.

British magazine Financial Times had quoted Tarin as saying that "military cooperation with the US over America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan had given Imran Khan’s government 'some space' to delay unpopular IMF reforms."

“What we do not need is more burden on our poor people,” said Tarin. “We have been talking to the American officials, and they’re willing to help," FT quoted Tareen as saying.