“The IMF team called upon Chairman Imran Khan at his residence today. The meeting was attended by IMF country chief Nathan Porter who joined virtually from Washington and Resident Representative Esther Perez who was physically present,” he said.

The International Monetary Fund is seeking support of Pakistan’s political parties, including former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, for a recently announced $3 billion bailout programme, an IMF official said in a statement on Friday.

“Discussions took place around the Staff Level Agreement that IMF has reached with the Government of Pakistan for a 9-month $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement and in this context we support the overall objectives and key policies,” Azhar added.

The IMF’s resident representative Esther Perez Ruiz said in a statement that the meetings with political parties were to “seek assurances of their support for the key objectives and policies under a new IMF-supported program ahead of the approaching national elections.”

Pakistan is scheduled to hold national elections by early November. The new bailout programme, a nine-month stand-by arrangement, is going to be taken up by the lender’s board on July 12.

Read more: Why is IMF team meeting heads of Pakistani political parties before key decision

Earlier, Azhar on Twitter wrote that the IMF approached PTI’s economic team to solicit the party’s support for the $3 billion SBA.

“An IMF team will call on Party Chairman Imran Khan at Zaman Park this afternoon,” he wrote on Twitter. “Both PTI’s economic team and the IMF team will join, in person and virtually, to take part in the discussions.”

Reacting to Azhar’s tweet, Coordinator to the prime minister on Economy and Energy Bilal Azhar Kayani said that PTI should not “play any game with the economy and conspire against it”.

“Imran Khan and his incompetent team should not make any new conspiracy against the IMF program today. IMF delegation is meeting not only you but all parties of Pakistan. Imran Khan should tell the IMF delegation today why he violated the agreement and deliberately pushed the country into default, he wrote on Twitter.

While the leaders of political parties informed of their meetings with the IMF team, however, the global lending institution has not issued a statement regarding the outcome of these meetings yet.

Earlier, PPP’s Syed Naveed Qamar posted a photo on Twitter in which he along with Saleem Mandviwala are shown meeting with IMF Resident Representative Ester Perez Luis.

“IMF resident representative called on PPP finance team, Syed Naveed Qamar and Saleem Mandviwala to discuss standby agreement with Pakistan. PPP agreed to support the program in larger national interest,” Qamar wrote in a tweet.