ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government announced on Thursday that prayer attendance at mosques would be restricted to a “few people,” while all educational institutions will remain closed until May 31 in a move to slow the spread of coronavirus.
“Friday prayers and other prayers across the country will remain limited to a few people only. Mosques will not be closed, but congregations will remain limited to a few healthy people,” Religious Affairs Minister Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri said at a press conference in Islamabad, following a National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting that was presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan and attended by all four provincial chief ministers, senior cabinet ministers and military leadership.
“We are doing all this to prevent spread of the virus,” Minister Qadri said, adding that President Arif Alvi had helped in reaching a consensus among religious leaders on the mosque prayers restriction.
While announcing the extension of school closures from April 5 to May 31, Planning Minister Asad Umar also said that transportation limitations will be reviewed on Friday, as movement of heavy vehicles is necessary to ensure food supplies.
“There is no wheat or flour shortage in the country, enough stocks are available,” he assured the public, “The government won’t allow any hoarding, and the state will move with full force against hoarders.”
The prime minister's special assistant on public health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, said the government would provide personal protection equipment (PPE) to all health workers by April 5, while 30,000 of them will get the protective gear by Sunday.
“We are trying our best to ensure safety of our health workers,” he said.
Pakistan has 194,000 health practitioners, 30,000 of whom work in intensive care units.
Also during the NCC meeting, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt. Gen. Muhammad Afzal said the government has established 162,000 quarantine beds across the country, including at three and four-star hotels.
The government wants to increase the number of ventilators at hospitals from the current 2,200 to 10,000 by May, he said, adding that disinfection was underway in the places where big numbers of coronavirus cases have been reported.
Pakistan had 1,118 known cases of the coronavirus with eight fatalities as of Thursday. The first case was recorded on Feb. 20.
A host of measures to contain the outbreak have been taken by the government, including the suspension of air travel, partial lockdowns of cities, and establishment of large quarantine centers.
Pakistan restricts mosque prayers in virus precaution
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Pakistan restricts mosque prayers in virus precaution
- 30,000 health workers to be provided with protective gear by Sunday
- Disinfection underway in cities where big numbers of coronavirus cases have been reported — NDMA
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.
