DUBAI , FEB 10 (DNA – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday met International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde in Dubai on the sidelines of the World Government Summit.

During the meeting, matters pertaining to bilateral interests came under discussion.

The meeting comes at a time when Pakistan is seeking its 13th bailout since the late 1980s to deal with a current account deficit that threatens to trigger a balance of payments crisis, but talks have been delayed by difficulties in reconciling IMF reform demands with Islamabad s fears the push is too drastic and could hurt economic growth.

Following the meeting, Lagarde in her statement said, “I had a good and constructive meeting with Prime Minister Khan, during which we discussed recent economic developments and prospects for Pakistan in the context of ongoing discussions toward an IMF-supported program.”

She further said: “I reiterated that the IMF stands ready to support Pakistan. I also highlighted that decisive policies and a strong package of economic reforms would enable Pakistan to restore the resilience of its economy and lay the foundations for stronger and more inclusive growth.

As emphasized in the new government’s policy agenda, protecting the poor and strengthening governance are key priorities to improve people’s living standards in a sustainable manner.”DNA

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