ISLAMABAD, Oct. 10 -- Authorities are optimistic about concluding a staff-level agreement (SLA) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb's upcoming visit to the United States. The agreement hinges on consensus regarding Pakistan's external account and the verification of flood-related losses and their fiscal distribution among federal and provincial accounts.

Officials confirmed that the IMF shared a draft Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) before its mission departed Pakistan after two weeks of discussions. "We were at the cusp of finalising the SLA, but two crucial tables that form part of the MEFP required further adjustments," an official source said, adding that updated ...