ISLAMABAD – Senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Asad Umar says thedecision to arrange more than twelve billion dollars to stabilize theeconomy will be made within six weeks.

In an interview with New York based Bloomberg news service, the financeminister in-waiting said the nation’s financing gap is somewhere between 10to 12 billion dollars.

He said Pakistan could turn to the International Monetary Fund, friendlycountries and issue diaspora bonds to bolster its foreign exchange reserves.

He said formal work in this regard will be started once the government isformed.

Asad Umar said transparency will be ensured in all China Pakistan EconomicCorridor related projects.

Referring to a recent statement of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, hesaid there is a friendly advice to the Americans that we will worry aboutour Chinese debt, but I think they better handle their own Chinese debtfirst.

Asad Umar said PTI won’t attempt to privatize state owned companies such asPIA and Pakistan Steel Mills. He said within the first one hundred days ofthe new administration, the state-owned enterprises will be shifted into awealth fund similar to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings Pvt. to remove themfrom political interference.

The expected Finance Minister said the government will also have to takeover some of the national airline’s 367 billion rupee debt to start thecarrier’s turnaround.

On taxes, he said to make businesses more competitive with regionalcountries, the new government plans to decrease taxes on energy plants andagriculture. It will cover up the lost revenue by introducing a wealth tax.