The Foreign Office (FO) has rejected a foreign media report that alleged Pakistan of selling weapons to Ukraine in exchange for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package.
The FO described the report as “baseless and fabricated.” The report, published by The Intercept, claimed that Pakistan was covertly providing arms to Kyiv as part of a deal with the IMF.
In response to media inquiries, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch unequivocally dismissed the story, emphasizing that the IMF Standby Arrangement with Pakistan aimed to implement essential economic reforms and should not be misrepresented. She stated that Islamabad maintains a strict policy of neutrality in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and does not supply arms or ammunition to either side, with defense exports adhering to stringent end-user requirements.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had previously refuted media reports of arms supplies from Pakistan to Kyiv during his official visit to Islamabad on July 20.
He expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and security and expressed interest in strengthening trade and economic ties. Kuleba also praised Pakistan’s humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected areas. In July, the IMF deposited $1.2 billion into the State Bank of Pakistan’s account, providing crucial economic stability to the nation as it faced the risk of default.
This deposit followed the approval of a $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement by the IMF’s executive board, the result of eight months of negotiations over fiscal discipline. Pakistan had previously reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF in June, securing substantial funding for the country’s economic challenges.
