Pakistan has vehemently denied a recent report by The Intercept, which suggested that Pakistani weapons were sold to Ukraine in exchange for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package.
In response to media inquiries regarding The Intercept’s article, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, dismissed the report as baseless and fabricated.
Baloch clarified, “The IMF Standby Arrangement for Pakistan was successfully negotiated between Pakistan and the IMF to implement challenging yet essential economic reforms. Any attempt to depict these negotiations differently is misleading.”
She emphasized Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to a policy of strict neutrality in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, underscoring that Pakistan does not provide arms and ammunition to either party involved. Baloch further explained, “Pakistan’s defense exports adhere to rigorous end-user requirements.”
It’s worth noting that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a $3 billion loan for Pakistan after the signing of a staff-level agreement. The IMF’s Executive Board granted this approval.
As per an official statement, the IMF has authorized the immediate disbursement of $1.2 billion, with the remaining $1.8 billion scheduled for release in two installments in November and February, contingent upon policy reviews.
The IMF’s executive board has stressed the importance of Pakistan’s adherence to the stipulated policies in the IMF agreement and the successful implementation of budgetary targets.
During a visit to Pakistan in July, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba similarly refuted reports of Pakistan supplying arms to Ukraine to support its military during the ongoing conflict with Russia. Kuleba clarified that there were no agreements between the two nations for the supply of arms and ammunition.
