KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday said that the government of Pakistan and the State Bank has assured all the accountholders maintaining foreign currency accounts (FCA), Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA) and safety deposit lockers in banks in Pakistan that their accounts and lockers are completely safe and there is no proposal under consideration to put any restriction on them.

Rumours are circulating on the social media that the government or the State Bank is considering to freeze or place restrictions on the withdrawals from the foreign currency accounts, Roshan Digital Accounts and safety deposit lockers.

Such rumours are absolutely incorrect and baseless. It is clarified that such a proposal has neither been considered presently nor in the past.

Moreover, the foreign currency accounts, including Roshan Digital Accounts are legally protected under the Foreign Currency Accounts (Protection) Ordinance 2001, and the government and the State Bank are committed to protecting all the financial assets in Pakistan, including the ones mentioned above.

The government and the SBP are taking all necessary measures to ensure macroeconomic stability in the country. The recent difficult decisions taken by the government, including the reduction in the subsidy on petroleum products, will pave the way to reach an agreement with the IMF and release of the tranche and financial assistance from other multilateral agencies and friendly countries.

“We are confident that these measures will relieve the temporary stress being faced due to elevated global commodity prices and geopolitical tensions and eliminate uncertainty in the economy,” the SBP added.