As of February 10, the central bank had only USD 3.2 billion in reserves, enough to cover barely three weeks of imports. To stem dollar outflows, the government has imposed restrictions, allowing imports of only essential food items and medicines until a bailout is agreed upon with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is seen as essential for the country to stave off default. Sharif's government is hellbent on implementing measures to cut down on its expenditures by increasing taxes on the public and bringing down government expenses.