Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to meet with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva today in Dubai, ahead of the scheduled March 3 review talks for Pakistan’s $1 billion second loan tranche. The meeting will take place during the World Governments’ Summit, an event organized by the UAE government, where global policymakers, heads of state, and private sector leaders will gather.
This meeting, the third between PM Sharif and Georgieva in the last 10 months, was requested by Pakistan. The high-level meeting, involving key cabinet members and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, comes at a critical time for Pakistan, with its government under pressure to address real estate sector demands and rising inflation, particularly affecting the salaried class.
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The agenda for the meeting remains unclear, but it occurs three weeks before the IMF’s first programme review talks under a $7 billion loan deal. Despite the uncertainty, Pakistani authorities remain optimistic about successful negotiations, as the country has met certain conditions, including tax reforms and fiscal targets.
Meanwhile, an IMF Mission on Governance and Corruption Diagnosis Assessment is already in Pakistan, meeting with key financial and judicial institutions. The results of this assessment, set to be published in July, could introduce further conditions for Pakistan as part of its ongoing loan agreement.
