Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, the Prime Minister’s advisor on Finance and Revenue, said the outlook for the economy is positive and export pick-ups and remittances help grow momentum.

Talking to a group of anchorpersons in Islamabad, he said last year in December, the large-scale manufacturing output grew on a monthly basis by 16 per cent, suggesting that growth is beginning to pick up.

The meeting was part of efforts to update media and the general public on important economic policies and reform progress.

Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh provided updates on the IMF staff’s recently concluded 2nd assessment stating that all performance requirements were met by the IMF staff at the end of December and structural benchmarks were completed.

He stressed that inflation has declined as a result of the government’s proactive measures to permit imports and increase supply through utility stores.