Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Aisha Ghaus Pasha said Tuesday that Pakistan will not default on external debt repayments to Paris Club and other international institutions.
Discussing the current economic situation with reporters in Islamabad, the minister said all payments will be made on time.
The state minister reiterated that Pakistan has taken all steps necessary to ensure the revival of its loan program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and expressed hope that talks for completion of the 9th Review will go ahead on schedule.
Meanwhile, there is a strong possibility that the restructuring of bilateral loans with some countries can be considered, she added.
Regarding central bank governor Jameel Ahmed’s recent rebuttal on restructuring bilateral debts in the background, the minister said she was unaware of what the governor said and simply stated that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had already explained everything in this regard.
In response to a query regarding the relaxation of remittance laws for overseas Pakistanis, Pasha said the federal government hasn’t given any amnesty to ex-pats in the budget 2023-24. She said the provision to allow overseas Pakistanis to bring in up to $100,000 from abroad is already a part of the law.
