Pakistan’s governments have a poor record of completing the IMF programmes       The headquarters of Fitch Ratings Ltd. stands in the Canary Wharf business and shopping district in London, UK. — AFP

ISLAMABAD: Raising the probability of default, the Fitch Ratings agency warned Pakistan that the recent election results had complicated near-term uncertainty and the possibility of extended negotiation or failure to secure a new deal with the IMF would increase external liquidity crunch and risk of default.

“The close outcome of Pakistan’s election and resulting near-term political uncertainty may complicate the country’s efforts to secure a financing agreement with the IMF, to succeed the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) expiring in March 2024,” says Fitch Ratings in a statement issued on Monday.

It stats that “a new deal is key to the country’s credit profile, and we assume one will be achieved within a few months, but an extended negotiation or failure to secure it would increase external liquidity stress and raise the probability of default”.

Pakistan’s external position, according to the statement, has improved in recent months, with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reporting net foreign reserves of USD 8 billion as of 9 February 2024, up from a low of USD 2.9 billion on 3 February 2023. “Nevertheless, this is low relative to projected external funding needs, which we expect will continue to exceed reserves for at least the next few years.

“We estimate Pakistan met less than half of its USD 18 billion funding plan in the first two quarters of the fiscal year ending June 2024 (FY24), excluding routine rollovers of bilateral debt,” it stated.

The sovereign’s vulnerable external position means that securing financing from multilateral and bilateral partners will be one of the most urgent issues on the agenda for the next government. This looks set to be a coalition of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) party and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), despite the strong performance by candidates associated with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in the election. Negotiating a successor deal to the SBA and adhering to the policy commitments under it will be critical to most other external financing flows, not just from the IMF, and will strongly influence the country’s economic trajectory in the longer term.

Finalising a new IMF deal is likely to be challenging. The current SBA is an interim package and we believe any successor arrangement would come with tougher conditions, which may be resisted by entrenched vested interests in Pakistan. Nonetheless, we assume any resistance will be overcome, given the acute nature of the country’s economic challenges and the limited alternatives.

Continued political instability could prolong any discussions with the IMF, delay assistance from other multilateral and bilateral partners, or hamper the implementation of reforms. We believe a government will assume office and engage with the IMF relatively quickly, but risks to political stability are likely to remain high. Public discontent could rise further if the PTI remains sidelined – the election revealed continued strong public support for the party.

Pakistan’s governments have a poor record of completing the IMF programmes – less than half of its 24 IMF programmes have disbursed more than 75pc of the funding available. However, there has been fair progress on targets under the current SBA. Moreover, we perceive there is stronger consensus within Pakistan on the need for reform, which could facilitate implementation of a successor arrangement.

Policy risks could rise again over time if external liquidity pressures ease, either as a result of initial reform successes or developments outside Pakistan, such as a substantial drop in oil prices. This could lead to the renewed build-up of economic and external imbalances. We believe Pakistan’s external finances will remain structurally weak until and unless it develops a private sector that can generate greater significantly more export income, attract FDI or reduce import dependence, the statement concluded.

When contacted, Dr Khaqan Najeeb, former advisor to the finance ministry, said uncertainty on the political outcome in the shape of a split mandate had raised concerns about Pakistan’s ability to undertake crucial reforms in the coming years.

Rating agencies, who did not upgrade Pakistan’s rating even after entering the interim Stand-by Arrangement in July 2023, are rightly pointing to issues that may delay the signing up of a new and proper extended fund facility with the IMF.

He felt it is up to the authorities and the incoming government to address the concerns by showing a handle on the contours of a new program to be supported by the IMF. In this regard, the authorities would need to be working on the fiscal and monetary frameworks, outlines of social spending for cost-of-living relief, and an agenda of structural reforms, especially for energy sector viability, SOE divestment, and climate resilience. These are not easily accomplishable tasks and Pakistan would need to have an eminent team of scholars if the country were to design a programme and then convince the IMF to fund it.

With consistent high fiscal and quasi-fiscal deficits and lingering external sector vulnerabilities, any hurdles with the IMF can hurt the confidence of other lenders, commercial banks, and bilateral partners, which can take a toll on meeting the country’s high gross external financing needs. This path of delaying or being inadequately prepared on the contours of a new program with the IMF is one that the country must not tread under any circumstance, concluded Dr Khaqan.