IMF, Pakistan officials to meet for program review

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An International Monetary Fund mission will meet with Pakistan officials this weekend to discuss the country's performance under its $7.6 billion IMF program, an IMF spokeswoman said on Thursday.

The discussions will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, starting this weekend, another IMF official confirmed.

Pakistan agreed in November to the IMF loan package to avert a balance of payments crisis and shore up foreign exchange reserves.

Insecurity and political uncertainty combined to add further pain to the economy, especially through a drop in investment.

The government has said it expects gross domestic product to expand 3.3 percent in 2009-10, compared with 2 percent in the fiscal year ending June 30, but analysts say the target is ambitious.