The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has piled further pressure on cash-strapped Pakistan over its $7 billion bailout programme, adding 11 new conditions to crack down on corruption. The move, coming days after the IMF approved the release of $1.2 billion, takes the total conditions to 64 that Pakistan needs to comply with within 18 months.

Pakistan's tattered economy remains heavily reliant on external financing by the IMF and the World Bank. It narrowly avoided a loan default after the IMF extended a $7 billion bailout in 2024. Pakistan is one of the IMF's biggest borrowers and has received about $3.3 billion since last year. However, as it is said, there is no free lunch. - Ends

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