Getting down to business straightaway, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave the green signal on Monday to begin negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new long-term bailout package. He also directed for preparing a roadmap on war footing to deal with the current situation.The suspicious absence from Shehbaz’s core economic team was former four-time finance minister Senator Ishaq Dar. Shehbaz had also included Ali Pervaiz in his core team in April 2022, but he was not brought to the table. The huddle suggests that Shehbaz Sharif is keen to pick a new economic team instead of relying on experienced hands. On the issue of next programme, the prime minister was informed about the likelihood of revenue measures and cut in power subsidies.
