Pakistan abandoned

Hard economic decisions will help its future

A recent visit to Pakistan by a mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) left without staff-level agreement on a new package for the troubled economy. Prior briefing from the multilateral agency had stressed the downside risks to the local economy. The IMF staff said that discussion would continue virtually to finalise the financial support considered necessary. Yet there is no question that the deadline that the government in Islamabad had set for additional financing —  early July — is approaching without any apparent consensus. The IMF, it appears, is playing hardball with Pakistan. The sums involved are substantial: Pakistan