<\/p>\n
A day after the PTI said founder Imran Khan would write<\/a> to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) urging it to call for an independent audit of the Feb 8 general elections, the Fund stated that it is looking forward to engaging with the new government on policies to ensure \u201cmacroeconomic stability and prosperity for all of Pakistan\u2019s citizens\u201d.<\/p>\n On Thursday, PTI\u2019s Senator Ali Zafar had told reporters that a letter would be sent from Imran to the international lender. He said the IMF, the European Union and other organisations had a charter that stated that good governance was needed for working in the country or giving a loan.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important condition for good governance is democracy,\u201d he said, adding that the people\u2019s mandate was stolen \u201cin the darkness of the night\u201d during the Feb 8 polls.<\/p>\n He said that if elections were not free and fair, any organisation would avoid giving a \u201cloan\u201d to such a country. \u201cBecause that loan will further burden the people,\u201d he said. He said the PTI wanted an audit of the election results and that condition would be put in front of the IMF.<\/p>\n It should be mentioned that Pakistan averted default last summer thanks to a short-term IMF bailout, but the programme expires in April and a new government will have to negotiate a long-term arrangement to keep the economy stable.<\/p>\n During a press briefing held early on Friday, Julie Kozack, the head of the Communications Department at the IMF, was asked about whether Pakistan was on track to secure the third tranche of the stand-by agreement reached in June 2023.<\/p>\n She was also asked whether the IMF would entertain any letter by Imran calling for investigations into election irregularities.<\/p>\n In her response, Kozack said: \u201cOn January 11, the IMF Executive Board approved<\/a> the first review of the Stand-By Arrangement, with Pakistan that brought total disbursements under the Stand-By Arrangement to $1.9 billion. The Stand-By Arrangement is supporting the authority\u2019s efforts to stabilise the economy and to, of course, with a strong focus on protecting the most vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n She said that during the tenure of the interim government, the authorities had \u201cmaintained economic stability\u201d.<\/p>\n