The caretaker government on Saturday refuted the reports regarding the delay in releasing funds for development projects and salaries.

“It would have been appropriate for the news channel to contact Finance Division’s spokesperson before airing such news, but unfortunately this was not done so,” a spokesperson for the finance ministry said in a statement.

The news item run on a private news channel regarding any delay in the release of funds for development projects and salaries of federal government employees was baseless and false, the statement added.

Pakistan remains on track to meet all commitments of the International Monetary Fund programme, evident from the smooth and successful completion of the Staff Level Agreement of the first review, the ministry said.

The statement also disucssed fiscal highlights relating to funds availability, adding the finance division has already released the second quarter funds both for current (salary pension and non-ERE) and development expenditure.

It went on to add that the Planning, Development and Special Initiative division has authorised funds for development expenditure to line ministries.

No change has been made by the finance division or planning division in the release strategy as wrongly reported by the particular channel, it said, adding that the finance division has released all second-quarter funds for the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and transfer to beneficiaries is already well underway.

“These facts clearly establish that the said news item was aired without any evidence and without taking the view point of the government,” it added.