Hassan Aziz
Recent talks between IMF officials and leaders of major political parties have caused criticism, with some seeing them as the lender interfering in the country’s internal affairs and attempting to shape its politics. An IMF delegation recently met with key political parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), even though the PPP is part of the federal government.The talks took place ahead of the IMF executive board meeting on July 12 to discuss the fund’s staff-level deal with Pakistan to provide $3 billion as a stand-by arrangement (SBA). While the PPP saw these gatherings as a chance to talk about economic concerns, the PTI saw them as proof of the party’s electoral significance despite a crackdown that has virtually devastated the party. According to a statement published by the PTI, PTI chief Imran Khan and his economic team described to IMF officials the political and economic situation in Pakistan; how the PTI was being marginalised; and how stability was tied to elections. The PTI even declared that it “asked the IMF to hold elections in accordance with the Constitution.”The PTI informed the IMF team that the circumstances in Pakistan could only change if a government was elected with public support for five years, adding that the party would lower inflation and bring the dollar down.The IMF deals with governments that have a public duty, according to PTI’s Hammad Azhar, who attended the meeting with the IMF mission via video link. The PTI leader, who served as federal minister for economic affairs during the PTI’s administration, stated that the SBA will keep operating during the period of the caretakers, who will have no policy mandate.As a result, Hammad stated, the agreement of all mainstream political parties is critical for IMF board approval. In response to the issue of what message the IMF meeting with the PTI sends, Hammad stated that the PTI is the single largest party in parliament. “Repeated polls show that it is also Pakistan’s most popular federal party.” As a result, its assistance is critical.” However, Federal Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, a PPP member, stated that the IMF delegation did not talk about politics, elections, or future governments during the discussions. “The discussion centred around the IMF’s staff-level agreement with Pakistan on a $3 billion SBA,” he explained. “They [IMF team] did not discuss politics or any other political matter, including elections or future governments,” he stated categorically. The IMF, according to the trade minister, “merely discussed the standby agreement and its components.” “The discussion was intended to ensure that the agreement has broad support.” “This is not uncommon in other countries,” he noted. When questioned if the IMF’s direct interaction with political parties an attempt by the opposition was to grow its footprint in Pakistan’s internal affairs and control domestic politics or the political situation, Qamar said it was nothing more than a spin. “Any attempt by the opposition to spin it in a different way demonstrates their despair.” In a statement about the meetings, the IMF’s Resident Representative in Pakistan, Esther Perez Ruiz, said the IMF staff was meeting with representatives of Pakistan’s major political parties, including the PML-N, PPP, and PTI, to seek assurances of their support for key objectives and policies under a new IMF-supported programme “ahead of the approaching national elections.”