ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's minister for planning on Tuesday defended the government's 3.9% GDP growth estimate for 2020/21 financial year, which is twice the projections issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

Pakistan said on Friday its economy was on course to grow 3.94% in the year to June, leading to questions from economists and opposition politicians, given the economic damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic. 

The estimate was based on data from the first nine months, according to the National Accounts Committee (NAC), which works under the Planning Ministry.

The IMF estimates Pakistan's 2020/21 GDP will grow 1.5%, and the World Bank projects 1.3%.

Asad Umar, the planning minister, told reporters that Pakistan's GDP calculations had in the past proved more accurate than those of the IMF and World Bank.

He cited GDP for 2019/20, now revised downward slightly to -0.47%, where he said the IMF and World Bank had forecast much bigger contractions of 1.5% or 2%.

Pakistan plans to present its annual budget next month.

In the fiscal year before Khan took power in 2018, the economy grew 5.8% and inflation, over 11% last month, was below 4%.

(Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Kevin Liffey) ((asif.shahzad@thomsonreuters.com; +923018463683;))