WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said it met with Pakistani officials last week, but has not yet received a request for aid from the South Asian country, which faces a critical balance of payments situation.
"Pakistan faces difficult economic challenges and we urge the authorities to begin taking the necessary actions to stabilize the economy and lay the groundwork for future growth," Jeffrey Franks, the IMF mission chief to the country, said in a statement.
The Washington-based lender said it met with Shahid Amjad Chaudhry, a financial adviser to the prime minister, and Yaseen Anwar, the head of the State Bank of Pakistan, during the IMF and World Bank meetings last week, but received no aid request.
The IMF cannot offer a loan package without first getting a request.
Press reports in Pakistan had earlier said the IMF offered the country a $5 billion loan.
Last month, the Asian Development Bank's country director warned that Pakistan was close to running out of money to pay for its imports and will need another IMF package by the end of the year to avert a crisis.
Pakistan last got an IMF loan in 2008, but the $11 billion loan program lapsed in 2011 after the government failed to implement certain fiscal reforms. Some analysts have since warned about a new balance of payments crisis. (Reporting by Anna Yukhananov, editing by G Crosse)
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