US helps Pakistan secure IMF bailout package
The United States played a key behind the scenes role to help Pakistan secure a 3 billion dollar bailout package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), diplomatic sources told media.
The recent staff-level agreement (SLA) came after an eight-month delay in releasing funds from a 2019, six billion dollar loan.
'The US supported Pakistan throughout the process but also insisted that they implemented the reforms they agreed with the IMF,' a diplomatic source said.
According to these sources, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had at least two telephonic conversations with US Secretary Antony Blinken over this issue. The matter was also discussed in face-to-face meetings between the two leaders.
The Pakistan embassy in Washington maintained regular contacts with officials at the US Treasury and State Department. At the Treasury, they worked with Deputy Under Secretary Brent Nieman, who oversees international financial matters.
The Pakistan embassy also sought the support of key US lawmakers, including Senator Lindsey Graham who met a Pakistani team days before the deal.
The breakthrough, however, came in late June when Pakistan Premier Shehbaz Sharif met IMF’s Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in Paris and asked her to release the critical tranche of 1.1bn dollar withheld since November.
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