• Delay breaches July 1 structural benchmark under IMF $7bn EFF • Officials blame legal issues over Ogra chief’s appointment and unresolved UFG targets ISLAMABAD: Amid over Rs3.44 trillion circular debt in the gas sector, the government has missed its July 1, 2026 deadline for notifying the biannual gas tariff as required under structural benchmark of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the $7bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF). Under two new gas sector structural benchmarks, Pakistan has committed to notifying semi-annual gas tariff adjustments on July 1, 2026, and February 15, 2027, to maintain energy tariffs at cost-recovery levels. The successful third EFF review in April this year introduced 11 new structural benchmarks, including those related to the energy sector.