Times of Islamabad

Pakistan receives first tranche of 3 billion package from Qatar

Pakistan receives first tranche of 3 billion package from Qatar

KARACHI: Pakistan receives first tranche of $3 billion package from Qatar.

Pakistan on Saturday received the first tranche of $500 million from Qatarunder the $3 billion package consisting of a foreign currency deposit anddirect investment.

State Bank of Pakistan’s chief spokesman Abid Qamar told *Dawn*that adeposit of $500m had been received from the gas-rich nation.

Qatar had announced the package a day after its ruler Emir Sheikh Tamim binHamad Al Thani’s two-day visit to Islamabad last week.

Qatar is the fourth country which offered a support package to Pakistanmaking the combined bilateral loans from all these friendly countriesduring the current fiscal year to more than $12.7bn before Pakistanformally enters an International Monetary Fund programme for $6bn financingnext month.