Iqbal seeks role in IMF talks

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to add a Planning Commission representative to the team negotiating with the IMF, The Express Tribune reported. Iqbal said the $7 billion programme concerns people and economic development rather than only figures. The request came as Jamaat-e-Islami set out on its march on Islamabad, which seeks an end to double-digit inflation.

At a press conference, Iqbal also asked Jamaat-e-Islami, farmers, PTI and the Awami Action Committee to call off their Islamabad rallies. He warned that such unrest would serve India's agenda, which he linked to Operation Sandoor-II. Iqbal put fuel price movements down to global developments and described JI's call for cuts as unwarranted.

Pakistan-IMF talks on the fourth review are set to open Wednesday and run until October 7. Clearing the review would release the fifth tranche, worth $1 billion from the Extended Fund Facility, plus another $210 million linked to the climate support facility. Government circles and independent experts have criticised the finance ministry for focusing the programme mainly on fiscal targets.