Pakistan did not get ‘begging’ from IMF just like that, had to make a secret deal with America regarding weapons for Ukraine
Stringent structural policy reforms of the IMF, which were a condition for the bailout. Started ongoing protests in Pakistan. In response to these measures, major strikes have occurred across the country in recent weeks.
The secret sale of arms from Pakistan to the United States played a key role in securing the controversial bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) earlier this year. These arms sales were apparently to the Ukrainian military, marking Pakistan’s involvement in the Russia–Ukraine conflict – an issue on which it faced pressure from the United States to take sides. Stringent structural policy reforms of the IMF, which were a condition for the bailout. Started ongoing protests in Pakistan. In response to these measures, major strikes have occurred across the country in recent weeks. The protests are the latest chapter in the year-and-a-half long political crisis that has engulfed Pakistan. In April 2022, with US encouragement, the Pakistani military organized a no-confidence vote to remove Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Crisis in Pakistan amid Ukraine war
Before Khan’s removal, US State Department diplomats had told their Pakistani counterparts that they considered Pakistan’s stance on the Ukraine war under Khan’s leadership to be “aggressively neutral”. He warned of dire consequences if Khan remained in power and pledged that all would be forgiven if he was deposed. Since Khan’s removal, Pakistan has become a valued supporter of the US and its allies in the Ukraine conflict, with this support now rewarded with an IMF loan. This emergency loan allowed the new Pakistani government to avert the impending economic crisis and postpone the elections indefinitely, during which it launched a nationwide crackdown on civil society and detained Khan.
Arif Rafiq, a non-resident scholar and Pakistan expert at the Middle East Institute, commented, “Pakistani democracy may ultimately fall victim to Ukraine’s retaliatory strike. Pakistan is recognized as a production hub of basic munitions needed for a long-term war. While Ukraine faces persistent shortages of munitions and military equipment, with reports from open-source news outlets revealing that Pakistani-made munitions and ordinances are being used by the Ukrainian military. However, neither the U.S. Nor has Pakistan publicly accepted this arrangement.
