Is govt imposing restrictions on foreign currency accounts?
June 06, 2022
The government and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Monday rebutted rumours of imposing restrictions on foreign currency accounts, Roshan Digital Accounts, and safety deposit lockers.
In a statement, the central bank assured all account holders in Pakistan that their accounts and lockers were completely safe and that there was no proposal under consideration to put any restriction on them.
The SBP said rumours were circulating on social media that the government or the central bank was considering freezing or placing restrictions on withdrawals from foreign currency accounts, Roshan Digital Accounts, and safety deposit lockers.
"Such rumours are absolutely incorrect and baseless."
Moreover, foreign currency accounts — including Roshan Digital Accounts — are legally protected under the Foreign Currency Accounts (Protection) Ordinance 2001.
The statement said that the government and the central bank were taking all necessary measures to ensure macroeconomic stability in the country.
"The recent difficult decisions are taken by the government, including the reduction of subsidy on petroleum products, will pave the way to reach an agreement with the IMF and release of the IMF tranche and financial assistance from other multilateral agencies and friendly countries," it said.
The SBP added that it is confident that these measures would relieve the temporary stress being faced due to elevated global commodity prices and geopolitical tensions, and eliminate uncertainty in the economy.
