Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin Friday disclosed details of the agreement under which Pakistan had received $3 billion funds from Saudi Arabia, according to a written statement issued by the Senate Secretariat.
The much-awaited $3 billion tranche had been deposited in the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on December 4, 2021, under an agreement signed between the SBP and the Saudi Fund for Development.
The details were shared in response to a query made in the Senate session held on January 25, which along with a few other questions had been deferred.
“Will the Minister of Finance and Revenue be pleased to state the details of agreement under which Pakistan received $3 billion from Saudi Arabia in December 2021, indicating also the interest rate and the time frame and the number of tranches fixed for the return of the said loan,” the statement cited the question asked by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, says a news report.
It was followed with details sought by the senator, according to which, the funds were deposited at a 4% interest rate, to be paid quarterly. Moreover, the time frame for this loan’s return is one year and it has to be paid in a single tranche under the “Rules and Laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Later, during the Senate session, the house was informed that Pakistan will start utilising the Saudi oil facility on deferred payment by the next month.
“We have tried keeping the entire burden of international petroleum price hike from falling on the people,” Tarin said during the question hour.
He said the government had provided relief to the masses by lowering the sales tax and petroleum development levy.
The minister further stated that the increase in the foreign exchange reserves of the SBP during the past year would help contain the pressure on the rupee.
He said Pakistan’s exports and remittances had boosted with a fall of $1.5 billion in the trade deficit.
In his response to a supplementary question, Tarin said Pakistan had fulfilled 27 out of 28 conditions put forward by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
“We have achieved our targets, hoping that the country will come out of the grey list in the next FATF review,” he said.
The next FATF plenary and working group meetings are scheduled to be held in Paris from February 21 to March 4.
The Upper House condemned the international human rights violation in India. Leader of the House in the Senate Shahzad Waseem regretted the silence of the international community over the rising religious hatred and extremism in India.He said the world has been witnessing the worst example of Islamophobia in India.
