ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan said on Monday that he will be taking oath as prime minister of Pakistan on August 11, reported Radio Pakistan.
The party was asked to form a government in the center after it won the most number of seats in the July 25 general elections. PTI also won a two-thirds majority in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and emerged as a strong runner-up in Punjab.
The PTI chief is currently actively engaged in forging alliances to form a coalition government in the center, Punjab, and Balochistan.
Talking to the newly elected members of KP Assembly, the prime minister-in-waiting said his nominated choice for the position of chief minister KP would be a “decision taken in the best interest of the people.”
He added that alleviation of poverty from interior Sindh is a top priority for the PTI government.
On Sunday, while speaking to the media outside Khan’s Bani Gala residence, PTI leader Naeemul Haq confirmed the PTI chief would be taking oath as prime minister before Aug. 14.
He also said that a possible venue for the oath-taking ceremony could be D-Chowk — a very important junction in Islamabad, leading up to the Presidency, the Prime Minister’s House, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, and the Parliament.
“Imran Khan would prefer a people’s ceremony of oath-taking where thousands can watch him take oath as prime minister of Pakistan.”
In August 2014, to protest against alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections, the PTI started a long march ending with a sit-in at D-Chowk. After reaching Islamabad, the protesters insisted on staying at D-Chowk until their demands were met. The sit-in lasted for 126 days.
“Perhaps the D-Chowk area may be the right place to do it (the oath-taking ceremony). Let’s hope so. Will keep on updating on this,” Haq reiterated in a statement released on social media.
All mainstream political parties have also agreed to attend the oath-taking ceremony, which is perceived as a “positive step,” said Haq.
According to the official results issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan, the PTI has emerged as the single largest political party in the National Assembly with 116 members.
“Imran Khan (is) working day and night to create the best possible team to run the country under a PTI government. The challenges of the economy, foreign policy, development, poverty, inflation (and) environment must be met and resolved on a priority basis. Inshallah the PTI govt will do it,” Haq said in his statement on social media.
Imran Khan to take oath as prime minister on August 11
Imran Khan to take oath as prime minister on August 11
- The prime minister designate may take oath in a “people’s ceremony” where thousands can watch him, hinted his party spokesperson, with a famous square in Islamabad as the possible venue
- The PTI chief is actively engaged these days forging alliances in an effort to form a coalition government in most parts of Pakistan
IMF warns against policy slippage amid weak recovery as it clears $1.2 billion for Pakistan
- Pakistan rebuilt reserves, cut its deficit and slowed inflation sharply over the past one year
- Fund says climate shocks, energy debt, stalled reforms threaten stability despite recent gains
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economic recovery remains fragile despite a year of painful stabilization measures that helped pull the country back from the brink of default, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Thursday, after it approved a fresh $1.2 billion disbursement under its ongoing loan program.
The approval covers the second review of Pakistan’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the first review of its climate-focused Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), bringing total disbursements since last year to about $3.3 billion.
Pakistan entered the IMF program in September 2024 after years of weak revenues, soaring fiscal deficits, import controls, currency depletion and repeated climate shocks left the economy close to external default. A smaller stopgap arrangement earlier that year helped avert immediate default, but the current 37-month program was designed to restore macroeconomic stability through strict monetary tightening, currency adjustments, subsidy rationalization and aggressive revenue measures.
The IMF’s new review shows that Pakistan has delivered significant gains since then. Growth recovered to 3 percent last year after shrinking the year before. Inflation fell from over 23 percent to low single digits before rising again after this year’s floods. The current account posted its first surplus in 14 years, helped by stronger remittances and a sharp reduction in imports. And the government delivered a primary budget surplus of 1.3 percent of GDP, a key program requirement. Foreign exchange reserves, which had dropped dangerously low in 2023, rose from US$9.4 billion to US$14.5 billion by June.
“Pakistan’s reform implementation under the EFF arrangement has helped preserve macroeconomic stability in the face of several recent shocks,” IMF Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clarke said in a statement after the Board meeting.
But he warned that Islamabad must “maintain prudent policies” and accelerate reforms needed for private-sector-led and sustainable growth.
The Fund noted that the 2025 monsoon floods, affecting nearly seven million people, damaging housing, livestock and key crops, and displacing more than four million, have set back the recovery. The IMF now expects GDP growth in FY26 to be slightly lower and forecasts inflation to rise to 8–10 percent in the coming months as food prices adjust.
The review warns Pakistan against relaxing monetary or fiscal discipline prematurely. It urges the State Bank to keep policy “appropriately tight,” allow exchange-rate flexibility and improve communication. Islamabad must also continue raising revenues, broadening the tax base and protecting social spending, the Fund said.
Despite the progress, Pakistan’s structural weaknesses remain severe.
Power-sector circular debt stands at about $5.7 billion, and gas-sector arrears have climbed to $11.3 billion despite tariff adjustments. Reform of state-owned enterprises has slowed, including delays in privatizing loss-making electricity distributors and Pakistan International Airlines. Key governance and anti-corruption reforms have also been pushed back.
The IMF welcomed Pakistan’s expansion of its flagship Benazir Income Support Program, which raises cash transfers for low-income families and expands coverage, saying social protection is essential as climate shocks intensify. But it warned that high public debt, about 72 percent of GDP, thin external buffers and climate exposure leave the country vulnerable if reform momentum weakens.
The Fund said Pakistan’s challenge now is to convert short-term stabilization into sustained recovery after years of economic volatility, with its ability to maintain discipline, rather than the size of external financing alone, determining the durability of its gains.
