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ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has refuted reports claiming that the global lender asked Pakistan to further arrange $8 billion for the revival of the $6.5 billion bailout package, a private TV channel reported on Sunday.
“The IMF did not demand an $8 billion financing from Pakistan,” global lender’s resident representative in Pakistan Esther Pérez Ruiz said on Sunday. She added that it would continue to support financial assistance from Pakistan’s stakeholders.
As per the report, Ruiz said that Pakistan’s external financing requirements have not been changed in talks with the IMF over bailout funds, denying local media reports that the Washington-based lender was seeking fresh financing.
She said that external funding requirements had not changed throughout the discussions, under a review that would unlock $1.1 billion in financing for the cash-strapped South Asian nation as part of a $6.5 billion IMF package.
The statement comes after local media reports claimed that the IMF was seeking fresh financing from the inflation-ridden nation to back external debt repayments in the next seven months.
It was reported that the lender has sought $8 billion after keeping in consideration all projected inflows and outflows for the May-December 2023 period.