VZCZCXRO5889
RR RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #3658/01 3251452
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201452Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0279
INFO RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 4280
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 0658
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 6390
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 5243
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 4060
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 9436

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ISLAMABAD 003658 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD EAID EFIN ENGY PK
SUBJECT: CABINET OKAYS IMF PROGRAM BUT NOT SMOOTH SAILING WITH 
PUBLIC 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  The Federal Cabinet approved the economic 
stabilization plan and directed the Ministry of Finance to finalize 
negotiations with International Monetary Fund (IMF).  The Planning 
Commission received reports on both short-term stabilization and 
medium-term economic recovery.  The reports will facilitate an 
indigenous action plan and a roadmap for donor negotiations. 
However, recommendations like taxing agriculture are already facing 
stiff resistance.  Meanwhile, the Government has again delayed a 
decision on an expensive campaign promise of reinstating 8,764 
government workers fired for political affiliation.  Market leaders, 
however, report improved sentiments since Pakistan approached the 
IMF.  END SUMMARY. 
 
---------------------------- 
CABINET APPROVES IMF PROGRAM 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Local press reports that on November 19, the Federal 
Cabinet approved the economic stabilization plan and directed the 
Ministry of Finance to finalize negotiations with IMF for reaching a 
formal agreement.  The special Cabinet meeting concluded that 
accepting IMF facility was the only option to stabilize the economy 
and work toward development and prosperity.  The Advisor to the 
Prime Minister on Finance, Shaukat Tareen, briefed the meeting on 
the latest interactions between the government and the IMF.  Tareen 
told the Cabinet the IMF will accept Pakistan's "home-grown Economic 
Stabilisation Plan."  Tareen told the Cabinet that the Standby 
Facility will be spread over 23 months, involving USD 7.6 billion at 
an interest rate of 3.51 percent to 4.51 percent, with a minimum of 
USD 3.2 billion credited to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) account 
in New York immediately after IMF Board approval.  Foreign Minister 
Qureshi told the Ambassador, November 20, that the discussion in the 
cabinet had been spirited.  He said that Dr. Hafez Pasha briefed the 
Ministers and advised that the IMF program tracked closely with his 
panel's assessment (see below). 
 
----------------------------------------- 
T-BILL AUCTION SHOWS COMMITMENT TO REFORM 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) One of the central components of Pakistan's program 
discussions with the IMF has been to allow interest rates to become 
positive again, in real terms, by raising the policy interest rate. 
Among the economic distortions the low policy rate caused was a 
reliance on central bank financing of the federal deficit.  The IMF 
closely watched the T-bill auction on November 19, to make sure the 
target of Rs75 billion (USD 951 million at 78.88 rupees per dollar) 
was fully subscribed.  The SBP sold a total of Rs103.5 billion (USD 
1.3 billion).  SBP sold Rs101.6bn (USD 1.29 billion) in 3 month 
bills and Rs1.9bn (USD 24 million) in 6 month bills at 13.85 percent 
and 14.01 percent respectively.  It rejected all bids for 12-month 
bills.  COMMENT.  IMF and donors consider this a successful auction, 
as the full targeted amount was sold, although the SBP appears to 
have targeted the shorter end of the yield curve for lower rates. 
END COMMENT. 
 
------------------------------------ 
ECONOMIC STABILIZATION PLAN RECEIVED 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) On November 18, Prime Minister Gilani officially received 
the report Pakistan's Planning Commission requested from the "Panel 
of Economists" formed in September.  The panel, headed by Dr. Hafiz 
Pasha, was instructed to prepare a short term economic stability 
report and a medium term growth strategy.  Pasha is a well known 
economist of Pakistan and a former Planning and Development 
Minister.  Gilani said that the report will help policymakers to 
formulate an indigenous action plan and give them a clear roadmap 
for donor negotiations.  The report discusses the issues of 
non-competitive industry and consequently non-competitive exports, a 
distorted price structure which encourages consumption over 
production, large fiscal and current account deficits, and a need 
for social safety nets for the poor. 
 
¶5. (SBU) One of the important panel suggestions is to have adequate 
and well-targeted social safety net programs in anticipation of the 
slowdown in economic growth and resultant unemployment.  Pakistan 
must tighten monetary and fiscal policies, especially by raising 
 
ISLAMABAD 00003658  002 OF 003 
 
 
interest rates and cutting development expenditures.  The economists 
believe development expenditure cuts will help to free up resources 
for social safety nets, especially to protect the poor during the 
expected economic slowdown. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The panel proposed a number of stabilization measures, 
including taxing the services and agricultural sector, taxing the 
real estate and capital gains to generate revenue and also to curb 
speculation, cutting development expenditures, letting the exchange 
rate depreciate further to overcome overvaluation, correcting the 
price structure in order to encourage production and 
competitiveness, and adding a clause to the Fiscal Responsibility 
and Debt limitation law to restrict the government borrowing from 
the State Bank. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The economists estimate that 75 billion in additional taxes 
can be generated through imposition of regulatory duty on non 
essential imports, imposition of excise duty on non essential 
consumer goods and services, and an agricultural tax.  Another 
suggestion is to start only those development projects that have 
high employment intensity.  They recommend that the focus should be 
on ongoing projects that have already been implemented. 
 
---------------------------------- 
PARLIAMENT OPPOSES AGRICULTURE TAX 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Much of the domestic criticism of the IMF program is the 
accusation that the IMF will require a federal agricultural tax. 
The Business Recorder reports that in the National Assembly on 
November 18, the ruling as well as opposition legislators said any 
move to tax agriculture will be resisted tooth and nail and that 
every farmer would take to the streets.  The parliamentarians said 
high diesel and other input costs had made life harder for the 
growers.  The Business Recorder reports that on November 19, Tareen 
explained that contrary to the general impression in the country, 
IMF has never asked specifically for levying a tax on the 
agriculture sector.  Tareen said the IMF only asked for improved tax 
enforcement and increasing the tax to GDP ratio from 11 percent to 
15 percent. 
 
¶9. (SBU) A panel of Pakistani economists prepared a proposal to 
widen the tax base by including the agricultural sector.  At this 
time there is no detailed proposal, just a recommendation and a 
broad outline.  The proposal would apply generally to all farmers 
but particularly the mid to large feudal landlords.  One tentative 
formulation in discussion within the Government is to exempt all 
landholdings up to a threshold from any taxation and then apply a 
decreasing marginal tax rate for the remaining acres.  For example, 
if the tax is to be levied on land holdings of more than ten acres, 
then a farmer with 100 acres would pay no taxes on 10 percent of the 
total income (the first ten acres).  The remaining 90 percent of 
declared income would be taxed based on a declining marginal 
schedule based on the amount of land in use; in the example the 
remaining 90 acres.  Thus, the larger the landholding the more 
favorable this particular proposal becomes. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Government technocrats and the urban industrialist class 
support the general proposal and have repeatedly supported such 
initiatives.  The landholders are protesting.  The former Minister 
for Industries, Jehangir Tareen, opposed any such idea even before 
it was made public.  He spoke against it again on November 3, in an 
Aaj TV program, arguing that the agriculture sector was already 
paying many taxes and imposition of new tax will gravely discourage 
the growers.  At the activist's level, the Farmers Association's 
President, Zahid Hussain Gardezi has also condemned any such 
proposition.  He described it as an obstruction that will depress 
and demoralize the farmers.  Gardezi said that policymakers make 
recommendations without stakeholders input.  Many legislators in the 
National Assembly have criticized the proposal, saying that the 
economic panelists lack even an elementary understanding of the 
agriculture sector in Pakistan and were overly focused on the little 
revenue it would generate. 
 
¶11. (SBU) The proposal has not entered the legislative process. 
After this broad outline prepared by the panel of economists, the 
government will prepare a detailed proposal that would be presented 
to the IMF Board.  After consulting with the IMF, the Ministry of 
 
ISLAMABAD 00003658  003 OF 003 
 
 
Finance (MoF) will work directly under the supervision of the joint 
task force on the agriculture tax.  This task force work under a 
Policy Board of the Planning Commission and is expected to have 
technocrats, professionals, politicians and farmer representatives. 
Prime Minister Gilani and President Zardari will jointly chair the 
Policy Board.  Unless legislators demand direct input, the MoF will 
work on the proposal as a technical matter and will directly prepare 
and present its recommendations to the Cabinet for approval. 
 
¶12. (SBU) COMMENT: The probability that the proposal will progress 
is low.  Similar proposals in the past have been unsuccessful. 
International financial institutions have repeatedly pushed for an 
agriculture tax but the powerful lobbies of the feudal landlords 
prohibited it.  Large landholders are heavily represented in nearly 
all of Pakistan's political parties including the party currently in 
control of the government (the Pakistan People's Party).  Gilani and 
Zardari each own significant landholdings and reportedly have poor 
tax compliance records.  END COMMENT. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
COMMITTEE CONSIDERS REINSTATEMENT OF WORKERS 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶13. (SBU) On November 5, the Cabinet decided to delay any decisions 
on the reinstatement of workers until further evidence is gathered 
about individual causes of dismissal.  On July 2, the Cabinet 
decided in principle to reinstate workers of public sector 
organizations and corporations fired in 1996-1997 on the basis of 
their affiliations with PPP.  Local press reports that as many as 
8,764 employees may have their seniority and financial benefits 
restored from the date of termination.  A committee headed by the 
Minister for Inter Provincial Co-ordination, Raza Rabbani, has been 
tasked to consider the modalities of the reinstatements and prepare 
recommendations for the Cabinet.  Rabbani reports to Post that the 
committee met to discuss on November 18, but has not formulated 
recommendations on the amount of pay, benefits, or promotions 
workers would receive.  The committee does not even know how many 
people would benefit but requested the number of employees fired for 
political reasons during the three-year period from ministries. 
 
¶14. (SBU) On November 5, Information Minister Sherry Rehman 
explained the commitment to rehire the workers.  She said, "The PPP 
had pledged in its manifesto to reinstate the fired workers and it 
would implement the decision regardless of the financial 
implications. Finances would be carved out in the light of proposals 
of the committee." 
 
----------------------------------------- 
AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH CITIBANK EXECUTIVES 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶15. (SBU) On November 19, the Ambassador met with Arif Usmani 
(Managing Director and Citi Country Officer), Mir Aziz Rahman 
(Director and Head of Global Corporate Banking), and Yousaf Ahmad 
(Vice President and Bank Head) from Citibank.  The executives said 
markets have become relatively calm since November 14, approximately 
when Pakistan officially approached the IMF for a Stand-by 
Agreement.  They observed less precautionary hoarding of cash and 
fewer investments based on speculation. 
 
¶16. (SBU) Usmani noted that, while the corporate banking market has 
been profitable, the small business and consumer credit portfolios 
are facing heavy losses.  He explained that since Pakistan lacks 
credit agencies, banks are unaware of borrower's other debts.  The 
rapid increase in interest rates, from 7 percent to 15 percent, is 
exposing just how overextended some borrowers are.  In response to 
the EconCounselor's inquiry into the strength of the textile sector, 
Rahman replied that reports are varied.  Of the sixty or so major 
names, twenty or so have serious issues while the remainder are 
doing quite well.  Ahmad said many of the smaller companies are 
highly leveraged and will suffer from rate increases.  Usmani 
attributed it to poor management; saying "conditions are bad, but 
you have to manage them." 
 
PATTERSON