“The IMF mission held constructive discussions with government and central bank officials on the economic performance under the EFF program and is encouraged by the overall progress made in pushing ahead with policies to strengthen macroeconomic stability and reviving economic growth. The mission reached staff-level understandings with the authorities on a set of economic policies detailed in an updated Letter of Intent, which will be subject to Executive Board approval.
Pakistan’s economy is showing signs of improved economic activity. Services and manufacturing are driving better-than-expected GDP growth, as reforms in the electricity sector seem to be bearing fruit with electricity shortages and unscheduled load-shedding declining. Led by large scale manufacturing and service sectors, growth is picking up and is now expected to reach about 3.1 percent for FY2013/14 as a whole, compared to the earlier estimate of 2.8 percent. Fiscal performance continued on track in the second quarter of 2013/14, with initial consolidation efforts relying on revenue mobilization and reduction in energy subsidies. On the external side, while the SBP has continued its efforts to rebuild reserves, and the foreign exchange market has stabilized, pressures on the balance of payments are likely to persist for some months.The authority’s reform program remains broadly on track, with the government meeting all of the quantitative performance criteria by end December 2013, with the exception of the targets on SBP’s net swap/forward positions and the ceiling on government borrowing from SBP. The authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to adopt the necessary corrective actions, including measures to improve the financing of government debt through a medium-term strategy of institutional development and deepening of the government’s securities market. Progress on the unwinding of the SBP’s swap/forward positions to reach program limits is underway, and progress on this front is satisfactory so far.