ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund has put on hold the top mostappointment from Pakistan due change in government in Islamabad.

As per the report IMF postponed the appointment of Zafar Hassan as thecountry’s senior advisor to the Fund’s executive board because of the newlyformed government coming into power.

Another reason attributed for the postponement is the previous government’sdecision to designate one official for the post instead of a panel of threesuitable candidates for appointment as senior advisors to the IMF.

And the postponement is not linked to the performance of Shahid Mehmood, aretired civil servant of the Pakistan Administrative Service, whopreviously served as senior advisor on the 2013-17 IMF bailout programme,officials at IMF told.

Executive Director IMF Jaffar Mojarrad told Shahid Mahmood left the IMFpost to assume a senior position in the Ministry of Finance.

He added if Mahmood was selected again, he would have been welcomed back.

The post of senior advisor to the Fund’s executive fund is of primesignificance since the incoming PTI government is contemplating variouschoices to tame balance of payment crisis, which includes asking for an IMFbailout to avoid a default on repayment of foreign obligations.

Also, the post of senior advisor has remained unoccupied for 1.5 years andhad been left deserted by the previous government on the excuse thatPakistan had exited the IMF program.

The post was sought by influential bureaucrats but failed to secure theposition.