KARACHI: US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Bloom has said that the International Monetary Fund is an independent institution that works within its own policy framework, but his country wants to see Pakistan’s successful program with the IMF.
He was addressing an interactive session on “US-Pakistan Relations: Present and Future” organized by the Pakistan Council on Foreign Relations here on Friday.
Ambassador Bloom’s remarks came a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made another request to the IMF to release a $1.1 billion tranche, which has been pending since November last year, as the $6.5 billion loan program expires in June. Finally nearing the end of its term.
The prime minister met IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva in Paris on Thursday and said the country had met all the requirements demanded by the lender.
In his address, Ambassador Bloom said that he wished to see Pakistan participate successfully in the IMF’s financial assistance program. He asserted that he wants Pakistan to develop and never wants any country to face diplomatic isolation.
The top US diplomat in Pakistan told the audience that the US has trade relations with China.
He said that America has helped Pakistan in all possible ways to deal with the disaster caused by last year’s floods. He said that he wants to see a Pakistan that is safe from the effects of climate change and Pakistanis deserve a better future.
Bloom described the economic problem as Pakistan’s biggest problem and said that America wants to see a solution to this problem.
He said that trade relations between Pakistan and his country have been growing over time, recalling that the US had donated 80 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to Pakistan during the Covid-19 emergency. . He hoped that the relations between the two countries would be further developed.
The American ambassador said that the strengthening of the relationship between Pakistan and the United States will give Pakistan more opportunities for growth and development. He said that we want to see a Pakistan that is ideal for investment.
He said that America intends to improve its diplomatic relations with Pakistan. He further said that instead of discussing the past in this regard, we want to discuss the future.
