ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will meet International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde in Dubai on Sunday for talks on issues which have held up bailout negotiations, a Pakistani minister said on Saturday.
Pakistan is seeking its 13th bailout since the late 1980s to deal with a current account deficit that threatens to trigger a balance of payments crisis, but talks have been delayed by difficulties in reconciling IMF reform demands with Islamabad's fears the push is too drastic and could hurt economic growth.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told Reuters Khan will meet IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai.
"This will give us a chance to understand the IMF views and we will be able to give our version to (Lagarde)," said Chaudhry, who will accompany Khan to Dubai along with Finance Minister Asad Umar.
Chaudhry said Pakistan wants any agreed bailout package, which would be the country's second IMF bailout since 2013, to be the nation's last such economic rescue by the IMF.
Officials had expected talks to conclude in November but they have been delayed as Islamabad harbours concerns that the programme could derail the economy and Khan's plans for his term in office.
Pakistan has in the meantime sought financial assistance from Middle Eastern allies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who have loaned it in excess of $10 billion to ease the pressure on its dwindling foreign currency reserves.
"The problem is not the (IMF) deal, the problem is the condition attached to the deal," Chaudhry said.
"We don’t want conditions that hurt Pakistan’s growth prospects. We want a fair deal that can actually help Pakistan in the short term, without affecting our long-term economic goals."
The IMF talks come amid a worsening macroeconomic outlook, with growth expectations slashed for the current fiscal year to about 4 percent from 6 percent previously forecast.
On Saturday, Pakistan also revised its growth figures for the last financial year to 5.2 percent from a previously reported 5.8 percent, after a sharp cut in the figure for large-scale manufacturing, the statistics office said.
When the original estimate was reported in April by the government of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi it was hailed as the strongest growth in 13 years.
Before the revisions to last year's GDP figures, Pakistan's deficit to GDP ratio, estimated at 5.8 percent in 2017-18, was expected to hit 6.9 percent this year, according to IMF data.
Pakistan premier Khan to meet IMF chief Lagarde for talks on bailout
Pakistan premier Khan to meet IMF chief Lagarde for talks on bailout
- Khan will meet IMF chief on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai
- On Saturday, Pakistan revised its growth figures for the last financial year to 5.2 percent
Pakistan, Iraq agree on tighter coordination over pilgrims under new regulated travel system
- New system requires all Iraq-Iran pilgrimages to be organized by licensed groups under state oversight
- Long-running “Salar” model relied on informal caravan leaders, leading to overstays and missing pilgrims
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iraq this week agreed to closely coordinate on the management and security of Pakistani pilgrims, as Islamabad rolls out a new, tightly regulated travel system aimed at preventing overstays, undocumented migration and security breaches during religious visits to Iraq and Iran.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between Pakistan’s Interior and Narcotics Control Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Iraq’s Interior Minister General Abdul Amir Al-Shammari on Thursday evening, where both sides discussed measures to facilitate pilgrims while strengthening oversight, Pakistan’s interior ministry said.
The agreement comes as Pakistan dismantles its decades-old pilgrim travel model and replaces it with a centralized, licensed system after authorities confirmed that tens of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims had overstayed or gone missing abroad over the past decade, triggering concerns from host governments.
“You have, for the first time during your tenure, taken effective measures to organize pilgrim groups, which are commendable,” Al-Shammari told Naqvi, according to Pakistan’s interior ministry.
“All pilgrims included in the list provided by Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior will be allowed to enter Iraq,” he added, making clear that only travelers cleared under the new system would be permitted.
Naqvi said Pakistan would strictly enforce return timelines under the revised framework.
“Pilgrims traveling to Iraq will not be allowed to stay beyond the designated period,” he said, adding that relevant authorities in both countries would remain in close coordination.
Both interior ministers also agreed to strengthen information-sharing and joint mechanisms on security cooperation, counterterrorism and the prevention of human smuggling, officials said.
“The safety, dignity, and facilitation of Pakistani pilgrims is the top priority of the Government of Pakistan,” Naqvi said.
Al-Shammari said he would visit Pakistan soon to finalize a joint roadmap to further improve pilgrim facilitation, security coordination and broader bilateral cooperation, according to the interior ministry.
Pakistan’s government has overhauled its pilgrim travel regime this year, abolishing the long-running “Salar” system under which informal caravan leaders managed pilgrimages. The move followed official confirmation that around 40,000 Pakistani pilgrims had overstayed or disappeared in Iran, Iraq and Syria over the past ten years.
Under the new Ziyarat Management Policy, only licensed Ziyarat Group Organizers (ZGOs) are allowed to arrange pilgrimages, with companies held directly responsible for ensuring pilgrims return on time. Authorities have completed security clearance for 585 companies seeking registration, while scrutiny of applications remains ongoing.
Islamabad has also barred overland travel for major pilgrimages, including Arbaeen, citing security risks in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, meaning all travel to Iraq and Iran is now restricted to regulated air routes.
Tens of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims travel each year to Iraq and Iran to visit some of the most revered shrines in Shia Islam, including the mausoleums of Imam Ali in Najaf and Imam Hussain in Karbala in Iraq, and major religious sites in Mashhad and Qom in Iran. Pilgrimages peak during religious occasions such as Arbaeen, when millions of worshippers converge on Karbala from across the region. The scale of travel, often involving long stays and cross-border movements, has long posed logistical, security and migration-management challenges for Pakistani authorities and host governments alike.
