ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party Senator Saleem Mandviwalla has said the government may not be able to receive next tranche, in time, timely from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as Fund’s board has dropped Pakistan from its agenda items of the next meeting.

Speaking to media along with Haider Zaman Qureshi, the PPP leader Sunday, he criticized the government team which was in negotiation with the IMF, adding that Finance Minister, Shaukat Tarin’s decision to “decline to accept all conditionalities of the IMF was a good step but those who came from the IMF should not be made part of the negotiation team of Pakistan.

He further said that for the last three years, Pakistan could not meet the remaining four points of the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) 27 to take the country out of Grey List.

He said PPP acknowledged that constitution of new National Finance Commission (NFC) Award by Shaukat Tarin during the PPP government was a commendable work but no meeting of NFC was held during the tenures of PML-N and PTI governments.

Mandviwalla said the government’s announcement that provinces should surrender their surplus fund to federal government was rejected by the provinces and all such matters should be resolved at the forum.

He further announced that as a chairman Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development, he would monitor the spending of the government on various development projects approved under the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).

He extended his full support to finance minister, saying “I believe Tarin is an honest person” and had all his assets in Pakistan.

Responding to a question regarding whether PPP would support Tarin in case he stood for Senate seat from Sindh, he said the decision would be taken at party level. He maintained that PTI budget was “just a document prepared through copy paste”.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021