The visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission is said to have refused to revise the reforms programme already agreed with the government of Pakistan. Only recently, a high-powered parliamentary committee had announced that it would certainly ask the Fund team to give a "human face" to its programme. Soon after its arrival, the mission called on prime minister Imran Khan. It is however not known whether or not the PM too asked it to revisit its 'reforms' programme with a view to giving it a "human face". The challenge of circular debt seems to have attracted the attention of the visitors who made some remark about its adverse impact on the country's economy. They were, however, full of praise for government's tax machinery efforts aimed at collecting taxes on an unprecedented scale. We must not lose sight of the fact that the IMF is no Saudi Arabia or the UAE - the two countries that have helped Pakistan in a highly benevolent manner.



Copyright Business Recorder, 2019