Pakistan finance minister: conflict with India won't have large fiscal impact

By Ariba Shahid and Charlotte Greenfield

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD, May 12 (Reuters) - The recent military escalation with arch-rival India won't have a large fiscal impact on Pakistan and can be managed within the current fiscal space, with no need for a new economic assessment, Pakistan's Finance Minister said in an interview with Reuters on Monday.

He added that trade talks with the United States – which had played a key role mediating a ceasefire between the two countries – would likely have progress in “short order” and that Pakistan could import more high-quality cotton, more soy beans and was also exploring other asset classes, including hydrocarbons.