Pakistan, IMF to begin $7bn EFF review talks on September 22

• IMF mission to scrutinise implementation plan on GCD report.
• Review talks to be coupled with Article IV consultation.
• Pakistan-IMF discussions likely to continue for two weeks.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are set to begin review talks and Article IV consultations on September 22 in Karachi and Islamabad, with discussions expected to continue for two weeks as part of the fourth review under the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

The upcoming review parleys will be coupled with an Article IV consultation, which will be undertaken by the IMF staff after a pause of two years, as the last executive board consultation was held in September 2024, according to The News.

When contacted, IMF Resident Mission Chief Mahir Binci, in response to an inquiry about the upcoming review talks, stated that the mission was expected to visit Pakistan in the coming weeks for the next programme review and Article IV consultations. The review mission typically takes two weeks, he added.

Pakistan's official sources also confirmed that the review mission was expected to visit Islamabad soon.

The government has submitted revised and updated import data on a monthly and annual basis to the IMF, removing discrepancies worth billions of dollars.

The IMF mission will also scrutinise the implementation plan on the Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment (GCD) report.

Article IV of the IMF outlines the legal obligations of member countries regarding their exchange arrangements and establishes the framework for the IMF to conduct regular economic health checks, known as Article IV Consultations.

The findings of the Article IV consultation will be presented before the Executive Board of the IMF and will then be made public alongside the review report.