Ned Price, the spokeswoman for the State Department, stated on Monday that Washington would want to see Pakistan “continue along the path of reform” in response to a query regarding Pakistan’s appeal to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to loosen its restrictions.
During a news conference, Price was questioned about Pakistan’s request that the IMF modify its stance and restructure its bailout programme. This request was made during the donors’ conference in Geneva.
The spokeswoman said that the IMF would eventually determine whether or not to ease restrictions.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said the IMF would ultimately determine whether to change its stance on Pakistan’s bailout plan, which was reviewed at a donors’ summit in Geneva the day before.
About all of Pakistan’s interests, including security, economics, and humanitarian concerns, the US will continue to be a partner, the official said.
A further $100 million in money from the US will be made available, bringing the total commitment to over $200 million, according to Price, who also revealed that it will be used for flood protection, clean energy, agriculture, and infrastructure rehabilitation in Pakistan.
“The funding also includes humanitarian assistance to support flood relief and recovery efforts in refugee-hosting areas,” he remarked.
“Our flood-related assistance complements our broader efforts to form a US-Pakistan Green Alliance that looks at the range of climate and resilience issues central to Pakistan’s reconstruction. Pakistan’s recovery and reconstruction will be a continuing process in the months and years ahead, and we will continue to support Pakistan in its efforts to build a more climate-resilient future for its people.”
Over $9 billion was pledged by international donors on Monday to assist Pakistan in recovering from the devastation caused by floods last year, exceeding its external finance targets and opening the door for a new method of raising money to combat climate disasters in developing nations.
At a summit in Geneva, representatives from more than 40 nations, as well as private donors and international financial organisations, met as Islamabad looked for funding to pay for around half of a $16.3 billion recovery bill.
