Islamabad, April 3 -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has shown reluctance to ease its stance on petroleum levy adjustments for Pakistan, complicating Islamabad's efforts to shield consumers from the massive surge in global oil prices due to the ongoing war in West Asia.
As per officials, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was briefed on Thursday about the IMF's initial response, which did not support any deviations from the agreed-upon levy structure, as it views petroleum levies as a key revenue stream and an important component of ongoing programme commitmentsDespite this, Sharif directed the Finance Ministry to re-engage with the global money lender, pushing for a more flexible approach, and stressed that fully passing on in...