{"id":63999,"date":"2024-02-24T18:58:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-24T18:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/move-to-drag-imf-into-rigging-row-panned\/"},"modified":"2024-02-24T18:58:13","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T18:58:13","slug":"move-to-drag-imf-into-rigging-row-panned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/move-to-drag-imf-into-rigging-row-panned\/","title":{"rendered":"Move to drag IMF into rigging row panned"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p>ISLAMABAD: PTI\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1816448\">plan to urge IMF<\/a> to seek an independent audit of the election results before continuing talks with Islamabad for any new loan backfired on Friday as not only the lender expressed interest in working with the incoming government, but the party also received severe criticism from political forces.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking during the Senate session, legislators termed the PTI\u2019s plan \u201canti-people\u201d and \u201canti-Pakistan\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, while talking to reporters in Adiala Jail, confirmed he was planning to write to IMF.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1816448\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>He said PTI would write a letter to the IMF against alleged rigging. \u201cWe will inform the Fund that due to rigged elections, the investors would not trust the regime and that PTI is seeking a probe into the rigging.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He was of the view that in the prevailing political unrest, new loans would bring more poverty. \u201cSeeking loan without investment will be detrimental to the country\u2019s economy,\u201d he warned, adding that political stability was imperative prior to getting a new loan.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote-level-1\">\n<p>Lender shows interest in working with new govt; senators term Imran\u2019s decision \u2018anti-Pakistan\u2019; PTI founder confirms plan to write to Fund<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The former prime minister said the country\u2019s institutions were destroyed just to select Nawaz Sharif. \u201cNAB and courts have been ruined only to pave the way for Nawaz\u2019s selection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said that former commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1814959\">stunning revelations<\/a> about massive rigging had come to the fore, but he was later \u201ctortured\u201d to change his statement. \u201cNow his (commissioner\u2019s) software has been updated,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>PTI leader Barrister Gohar Khan defended Imran Khan\u2019s move, saying the letter to IMF would be in the interest of the country.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  \"><figcaption class=\"media__caption  \">Barrister Gohar Khan speaks to media in Rawalpindi. \u2014 DawnNewsTV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, an IMF official said the lender looked forward to engaging with the new government on policies \u201cto ensure macroeconomic stability and prosperity for all of Pakistan\u2019s citizens\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>However, Senator Barrister Syed Ali Zafar of the PTI toned down the party\u2019s stance on approaching the IMF. He said Pakistan should continue to engage with the IMF to ensure financial discipline, good governance, and economic stability, which are critical for the prosperity of Pakistan\u2019s people.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link--external\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PTIofficial\/status\/1760950111767543987\">post on X<\/a>, he wrote, \u201cFor PTI, Pakistan will always be first and foremost. While we will continue to support all steps in this direction taken for the benefit of the country and in the national interest, PTI will continue its struggle for democracy and raise its voice at all forums and expect the international community\u2019s support.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr Zafar said he would advise Imran Khan to show restraint as writing to IMF at this juncture would not be a good option.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Senate debate<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the Senate, PML-N leader Irfan Siddiqui said writing a letter to IMF to block a new loan will be a move not against the PPP and PML-M but the people of Pakistan.<\/p>\n<p>He said complaints of rigging were also lodged in the 2018 elections, but no one had even tried to ask the IMF to block the loan.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Siddiqui recalled that the PTI regime\u2019s finance minister, Shaukat Tarin, had also tried to stop the IMF loan in 2022. Similarly, another PTI leader, Fawad Chaudhry, had threatened that Punjab and KP (which were under the PTI\u2019s rule during the PDM government) would not accept any deal between the IMF and the PDM regime.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1766395\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>PPP Senator Shahadat Awan said PTI had already tried to block the way of an IMF deal in the past and now a similar conspiracy was being hatched.<\/p>\n<p>Sherry Rehman, PPP vice president, condemned Imran Khan\u2019s attempt to sabotage the future IMF programme.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs it not a violation of laws and ethical standards to invite the IMF to intervene in Pakistan\u2019s internal matters, espec\u00adially considering that the IMF has no mandate to interfere in the general elections of a country?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n<p>PML-N leader Ishaq Dar, while speaking to the media in the Punjab Assembly, also condemned PTI\u2019s decision and described it as \u201csad\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf a letter is written to IMF, it would have no standing,\u201d he said, adding that by writing the letter, the PTI was proving to be anti-national.<\/p>\n<p><strong>IMF official\u2019s presser<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>During a presser in New York, Julie Kozack, the director of the communications department at IMF, was asked whether Pakistan was on track to securing the third tranche of the short-term agreement and whether the IMF would entertain any letter by Mr Khan about the election irregularities.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1816485\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In her response, Ms Kozack <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1816485\/imf-looking-forward-to-working-with-new-govt-to-ensure-macroeconomic-stability-official\">said<\/a>: \u201cOn Jan 11, the IMF executive board approved 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<p>She said that during the tenure of the caretaker government, the \u201cauthorities have maintained economic stability\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis has been done through strict adherence to fiscal targets while also protecting the social safety net. It has been done by maintaining a tight monetary policy stance to control inflation and to continue to build up foreign exchange reserves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe look forward to working with the new government on policies to ensure macroeconomic stability and prosperity for all of Pakistan\u2019s citizens. And I am going to leave it at that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for Imran Khan\u2019s letter, Ms Kozack said: \u201cI\u2019m not going to comment on ongoing political developments. So, I don\u2019t have anything else to add to what I just said.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2018Respecting mandate to help IMF talks\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, US Senator Chris Van Hollen, a key member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link--external\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisVanHollen\/status\/1761044502347694241\">reminded<\/a> Pakistani authorities that they need to respect the people\u2019s mandate if they want meaningful deals with lenders like the IMF.<\/p>\n<p>Senator Van Hollen stressed the necessity for a robust government supported by the people to make vital decisions. \u201cPakistan\u2019s current economic and security challenges require a strong government with the backing of the Pakistani people to make the difficult but necessary decisions,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter sent to Pakistan Ambassador to US Masood Khan on Thursday, he argued that \u201crespecting the decision of the Pakistani people, expressed through their votes, is the only way a new government will be empowered to tackle issues facing Pakistan such as negotiating a new IMF agreement or investing to mitigate future floods.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Urging Pakistani authorities to fully investigate the allegations of fraud and electoral interference, he added, \u201cWithout a credible investigation, a new government will struggle to bring the Pakistani people together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pakistan and the United States, he said, shared many interests, including addressing climate change and ensuring a secure, stable, and prosperous South Asia.<\/p>\n<p><em>Anwar Iqbal in Washington also contributed to this report<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD: PTI\u2019s plan to urge IMF to seek an independent audit of the election results before continuing talks with Islamabad for any new loan backfired on Friday as not only the lender expressed interest in working with the incoming government, but the party also received severe criticism from political forces. Speaking during the Senate session, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":64000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/large\/2024\/02\/2408230438f4fb3.png?r=082340","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-news"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}