Minister of State for Finance, Rana Afzal Khan's talk with media persons in which he spelt out challenges that the incumbent government faces during its remaining tenure. Managing external side of the economy will be a major challenge for the government in the remaining six months of the current fiscal year as dollar 6 billion foreign repayments are due before June 30, 2018 has been found to be full of optimism. According to him, there is no possibility of taking another bailout package from the IMF as he refers to available options of commercial borrowings or issuance of bonds. The government is also exploring the possibility of purchasing oil on deferred payment from a friendly country. But his optimism appears misplaced because of the evolving political situation in the country. The growing US belligerence that has manifested itself in the most ugliest manner through President Donald Trump's New Year tweet to issue a threat to Pakistan and subsequent suspension of security-related aid have clearly added to confusion and concerns among people in the country. The new economic team is likely to be hamstrung by the new global developments in relation to Pakistan. Hence the need for creative thinking to do the best under the prevailing circumstances.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2018