Miftah tells IMF & WB: Pakistan set to achieve higher growth

Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs Miftah Ismail had told the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) that Pakistan was set to achieve high GDP growth rate during current year again and was hoping to maintain this momentum in the coming years due to robust performance of the real sector of the economy. Miftah Ismail along with a delegation participated in the IMF and WB spring meetings 2018 at Washington, said a press release issued by the Ministry of Finance here Saturday.
The delegation attended a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the main event, which included a meeting with Deputy Managing Director of IMF Mitsuhiro Furusawa and his team on Pakistan''s economic performance.
A discussion of Pakistan''s ongoing WB engagements with the WB team led by Vice President for South Asia Ethel Sennhauser, region and a review of IFC''s project portfolio and potential initiatives in Pakistan with the IFC team led by Ms Snezena Stoiljkovic, Vice President for South Asia, said a press release.
The Adviser briefed the WB and IMF officials about the current economic situation and also drew attention to improvement in the country''s exports resulting from various policy initiatives implemented by the government.
On the sidelines, the Advisor also met Takehiko Nakao, President of the Asian Development Bank and discussed Pakistan''s portfolio and future development initiatives where ADB could assist the government of Pakistan.
President ADB assured the Advisor of the Bank''s continuous support and role as Pakistan''s major development partner and invited the Advisor to attend ADB board of governors meeting in Manila next month.
In the meeting with the Afghan Finance Minister Eklil Hakimi, the two sides discussed various issues adversely impacting trade flows between the two countries and agree to set up working groups to resolve them. The first joint meeting is expected to take place in early May. The Adviser also spoke on the development impact of the Belt and Road Initiative in Pakistan in a high-level roundtable chaired by the WB President, Dr Jim Yong Kim.
The delegation accompanying the Adviser Finance includes Governor State Bank and Secretary Economic Affairs Division. Pakistan''s Alternate Executive Director at the WB and Economic Minister at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC also assisted the delegation.