Shaukat Tarin hints at renegotiating IMF deal

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin hinted at renegotiating deal with International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday.

Addressing a meeting of the National Assembly’s sub-committee on finance, the minister has said that IMF’s demand to raise electricity tariff is unreasonable and argued the hiking the tariff will only increase corruption in the country.

Shaukat Tarin said that they would take up the matter regarding increase in tariff with the IMF as it could lead to further inflation in the country. He further lamented that maintaining the interest rate at 13.25 per cent was a grave mistake besides also announcing to privatize institutions that the government is unable to run.

Shaukat Tarin shared that 85 per cent of the country’s income is spent in nine cities of the country. “What is the fault of people living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan and South Punjab,” he asked.