ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s central bank has repaid US$1bil in Eurobonds - a scheduled payment ahead of the South Asian nation seeking a long-term bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The bond, launched in 2014 and repaid last Friday, was maturing this month.

“The payment was made to the agent bank for onward distribution to the bond holders,” the central bank said in a statement.Islamabad has been struggling with a balance of payments crisis, record inflation and steep currency devaluation since an IMF standby arrangement averted a sovereign default.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is due to leave for Washington to attend the IMF-World Bank spring meeting, where he will start negotiations for Pakistan’s 24th long-term IMF bailout.

Aurangzeb briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about the new IMF programme last Friday, the government said in a statement.

The IMF standby arrangement of US$3bil Islamabad secured last summer expired last Thursday. Its final tranche of US$1.1bil is expected to be released after the multilateral lender’s board meets later this month.

The two sides have spoken in recent weeks about negotiating the longer-term bailout to continue with necessary policy reforms to rein in deficits, build up reserves and manage soaring debt servicing.

 - Reuters