The government has no space for complacency, says Aurangzeb.

 ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb stated on Monday that there was no choice but to continue with the reform agenda in order to ensure that it is the final International Monetary Fund (IMF) program and long-term economic development.

"The key message from multilateral and bilateral partners, as well as local think-tanks, for Pakistan is to continue with the reform agenda, which includes taxation, energy, state-owned entities (SOEs), and public finances," said the minister during a briefing to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance on Monday.


The committee convened, chaired by Syed Naveed Qamar, to examine IMF commitments, revenue methods, and provincial expectations.

Because of the sensitivity of the conversations, the department requested an in-camera session, which was partially agreed upon by the committee, allowing for select discussions and Q&A.

The minister of finance and revenue briefed the committee on the government's IMF commitments, quantitative performance criteria, structural benchmarks for fiscal, governance, social, monetary and financial, energy sector, SOEs, and investment policy, continuous performance criteria, indicative targets, and provincial expectations.


The committee was also briefed on accomplishments such as the successful execution of measures such as the zero new flow of State Bank credit to the government, the rationalization of deposit insurance legislation, and the cap on the government's primary budget deficit.