Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday met the International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva and discussed a new loan programme for the cash-strapped country, Sharif's office said. In a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Special Meeting in Riyadh, the premier thanked Georgieva for her support to Pakistan in securing the USD 3 billion standby arrangement (SBA) from IMF last year that was now nearing its completion, Dawn newspaper reported. According to the state-run PTV News post on X, this was the first meeting between the prime minister and Georgieva since his re-election, reported news agency PTI.

They last met in Paris in June 2023 on the margins of the Summit for New Global Financial Pact. The IMF Executive Board is expected to meet on Monday to decide on the final tranche of USD 1.1bn under SBA, the post said. The pair discussed further programmes to ensure gains made in the past year were consolidated and the economic growth trajectory remained positive. Georgieva shared her institution's perspective on the ongoing programme with Pakistan, including the review process. Pakistan secured the USD 3 billion IMF programme in June last year, which helped it avert a sovereign default. Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the "global inequity" in healthcare while speaking at a panel discussion on 'Redefining Global Health Agenda' during the special meeting of WEF. The premier said that when he visited Saudi Arabia in 2003, he was "struck by a very nasty cancer". He said that he was then flown to New York and had to undergo surgery costing "thousands of dollars", reported PTI.