The cash represents the second and final tranche of a $3 billion standby agreement with the IMF, which was acquired last summer to avoid a sovereign default and expires this month.

The South Asian nation is looking for a fresh, longer-term IMF loan. Pakistan’s Finance Minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, has stated that Islamabad expects to get a staff-level agreement on the new programme by early July.

Islamabad says it wants a loan for at least three years to help with macroeconomic stability and to carry out long-overdue and painful structural reforms, but Aurangzeb has declined to specify what type of programme the country wants.

Read more: Pakistan plans to agree on the outline of a new IMF loan in May. Fin-Min Aurangzeb

Pakistan has yet to make a formal request, but the Fund and the government are already in discussions.

If secured, it will be Pakistan’s 24th IMF bailout.

The $350 billion economy is experiencing a chronic balance of payment crisis, with nearly $24 billion in debt and interest to repay over the next fiscal year – three times the amount of foreign currency reserves held by the central bank.

Pakistan’s finance ministry expects the economy to grow by 2.6% in the current fiscal year, which ends in June, while average inflation is expected to be 24%, down from 29.2% in fiscal year 2023/2024. Last May, inflation soared to a record high of 38%.

The Court also issued an order to re-vote on 12 polling stations in Chaman’s PB-51 seat.

The court returns the case to the election commission with the candidates’ assent and orders the ECP to rule within 10 days of hearing the candidates.

“Under what rule did the ECP order re-polling in 12 polling stations?” Justice Ameenuddin Khan inquired. “The election commission saw 12 polling stations and ignored others,” Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar stated.

According to Justice Ameenuddin, the election commission did not undertake any inquiries or adhere to any principles.

“Only those polling stations were checked where maximum turnout of votes pointed out in petitions,” claimed the ECP’s DG Law.

Justice Mazhar stated that the ECP should have investigated the entire constituency.

On the request of a rival candidate, Muhammad Asghar Achakzai, the election body ordered re-elections in his constituency.

The case was considered by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Ameenuddin Khan.

Re-elections were ordered by the Election Commission at polling stations 56, 57, 61, 62, 79, 89, 90, 91, 95, 106, 129, and 130 in the PB-51 constituency.

In February, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Captain (retd) Abdul Khaliq Achakzai was chosen Speaker of the Balochistan Assembly without opposition.

According to Marwat Regarding a public meeting in Kasur, he was booked by Punjab police. IHC was approached by the MNA to request protective bail in this case.

PTI chief’s appeal was heard by Justice Tariq Jahangiri. The IHC granted Sher Afzal Marwat protective bail following preliminary arguments in exchange for a $10,000 surety bond.

The relevant court was asked to see him in two months. Following the fall of the PTI administration, Sher Afzal Marwat is dealing with several matters.

The PTI leader’s temporary bail was extended earlier this month by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) in a different matter.

Judges Sahibzada Asadullah and Ishtiaq Ibrahim heard the case.

Marwat requested the dismissal of the cases against him in his petition, claiming that 23 FIRs had been filed in the province against him for political purposes.