Imran Khan removes central bank and tax body chiefs amid IMF talks

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan's government has removed chiefs of the State Bank of Pakistan and the Federal Board of Revenue, a surprise move that comes days after an IMF team visited Islamabad to hold talks for a bailout package to the cash-strapped country.
The development came after Khan on Friday hinted at further changes to his Cabinet in the days to come. Although there was no formal announcement, but the Dawn newspaper reported on Saturday that SBP governor Tariq Bajwa confirmed that he was asked to resign while he was in Islamabad for talks with the IMF.
Both officers seem to have been taken by surprise, as FBR chairman Jahanzeb Khan was scheduling meetings for Saturday till late Friday night when the news of his departure flashed across TV screens. It was unclear how the change of such senior and important officers will affect the talks with the IMF, the report said.
Pakistan is seeking $8 billion from the IMF to bail itself out from a severe balance-of-payments crisis that threatens to cripple the South Asian country's economy.