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WASHINGTON: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Saturday that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cannot impose any conditions on Pakistan that go against the country’s national interests.

Speaking at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, the minister said that all the reforms undertaken so far under IMF programmes were consistent with Pakistan’s own economic priorities and had contributed to improving the national economy.

“Please name any IMF-suggested reform that is not aligned with our national interest,” he asked in response to a question.

Mr Aurangzeb announced that the IMF is expected to release the $1.2 billion tranche pledged under last week’s staff-level agreement by Dec 31.

“The Fund’s executive board will soon meet to review the agreement, and the amount will be released shortly thereafter,” he added.

At the conclusion of his six-day visit to Washington, the minister also expressed optimism about........

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