ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday appreciated the debt relief measures by G20 countries, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank for developing countries, including Pakistan.
The premier lauded the debt relief measures after Finance Adviser Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh called on PM Imran and informed him about the planned approval of an additional $1.4 billion concessionary financing from IMF to deal with the economic impact of coronavirus.
In the meeting, the finance adviser also updated the premier about the progress on various components of the economic stimulus package announced by the government.
On April 12, PM Imran had appealed for a “Global Initiative on Debt Relief” to deal with a global recession in the wake of the outbreak of novel coronavirus.
The premier had appealed to the international community, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and international financial institutions to respond positively to the dilemma confronting developing counties in the face of the pandemic.
While noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented health and economic challenges, PM Imran had underlined that a global recession was certain, one worse than the ‘Great Depression’.
“A global pandemic cannot be contained without strong, coordinated and well-crafted global response,” he had stressed.
In a televised speech, the premier had said that the global initiative on debt relief would bring together stakeholders on a platform to promote coordinated health and economic response.
A statement issued from his office had noted that various announcements were made by multilateral actors such as the UN, the IMF, and the World Bank. The announcements made included initial relief packages of US$1.4 billion by the IMF and $1 billion by the World Bank.
Imran had proposed that developing countries be provided with fiscal space and financial relief through enhanced debt relief and restructuring as well as other additional measures that could help them manage the unfolding crisis.
As part of his diplomatic outreach, Imran had said that he would be approaching the heads of state and governments from a wide range of countries notably from the Paris Club, Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), heads of international organisations and others concerned to join him in this endeavour.
