A delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is currently visiting Pakistan, met government and tax officials of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan on Thursday.
During the talks, the KP government sought concessions on purchase of wheat and determination of wheat support price. However, the IMF delegation did not make any commitment about these discounts. The IMF team also expressed its reservations at the government’s failure to meet the surplus budget target. From July to September, the budget remained Rs160 billion surplus compared to the Rs342 billion surplus budget target, Rs182 billion less than the target.
Sindh achieved Rs131 billion, KP Rs103 billion and Balochistan Rs85 billion surplus budget. The IMF team raised questions about low spending in smaller provinces and KP government’s investment in T-bills. The IMF team said the KP government spent less in health and education and invested around Rs20 billion in T-bills.
The IMF delegation was apprised by the KP government officials of the amount allocated for the health card.
On this occasion, the federal finance ministry praised the measures taken by the KP government. IMF officials will continue their meetings with KP government representatives and tax authorities on Friday.