Pakistan faces 'rumours' of govt directions to stop salary, pension payments
Pakistani daily 'The News International' reported that the finance ministry had instructed the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR) to 'halt clearing all federal ministries and associated departments' bills until further orders'
The Finance Division of Pakistan on Saturday rejected a media report that the government had instructed cessation of pension and salary payments, terming it as "completely false," news outlet DAWN has reported.
Pakistani daily "The News International" reported that the finance ministry had instructed the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR) to "halt clearing all federal ministries and associated departments' bills until further orders."
"Even the clearance of salary bills has also been stopped," claimed the report, which quoted "top official sources" as saying that "operational cost-related releases faced difficulties mainly because of lingering financial difficulties being faced by the country."
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The finance division issued a press release today rejecting the report, saying: "There are rumours floating around that the government has instructed to stop payment of pay, pension, etc. This is 'completely false' as no such instructions have been given by the Finance Division, which is the concerned federal ministry."
It added that the accountant general of Pakistan revenue (AGPR) has "confirmed that pay and pension have already been processed and will be paid on time."
According to the press statement, other payments were also handled routinely.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said the "fake news" was being spread to "cause harm to the national economic interests".
"Kindly refrain from circulating such reports and news without verifying from the concerned ministry," he urged people.
The news comes at a time when the country's economy is in peril and the administration is rushing to impose tax measures and negotiate a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) before the reserves run out, which analysts estimate will only be enough for 16 or 17 days' worth of imports.
Not only would there be a disbursement of $1.2 billion as a result of the agreement with the IMF on the conclusion of the ninth review of a $7 billion loan programme, but it would also enable inflows from friendly nations.
Several austerity measures were also unveiled by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, which he said will save the nation Rs200 billion yearly. Pakistan is fighting a severe economic crisis and is in desperate need of money.
