Pakistan won''t accept stringent IMF terms: President and Prime Minister meet

Pakistan has decided not to accept stringent International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions for economic bailout package, but a final decision would be taken on the conclusion of President Asif Ali Zardari''s visit to Saudi Arabia and ''Friends of Pakistan'' meeting in Abu Dhabi. This was agreed in a meeting between the President and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in Aiwan-e-Sadr on Saturday.
The two leaders said that the economic experts of Pakistan were busy in dialogue with IMF for loan package, and Pakistan is minutely looking into the conditionalities of IMF, and after this review it would be decided whether to take loan or not.
The President and Prime Minister said that if IMF loan would be against Pakistan''s national interest, the government would not waste a moment to avoid it. "If our ''friends'' start supporting us immediately, maybe, Pakistan will not need IMF support", they said. They expressed hope that the ''Friends of Pakistan'' countries would help Pakistan in facing the challenges of financial crisis.
In their meeting, President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani called the continuous missile attacks by US drones in tribal areas as attacks on Pakistan''s sovereignty, and asked the US leadership to respect the sovereignty of Pakistan.
They also asked America to respect the unanimous resolution adopted by Pakistani Parliament regarding the elimination of terrorism and extremism. Gilani apprised the President of his recently concluded visits to China and Turkey and also discussed matters pertaining to the ongoing rescue activities in the earthquake affected areas of Balochistan.