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‘Official bheek mange hain ye’: Owaisi slams IMF bailout for Pakistan
Asaduddin Owaisi questioned the rationale behind granting loans to Pakistan, accusing the country of spreading discord under the guise of religion.
Lok Sabha leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Pakistan, criticising its economic policies, reliance on foreign loans, and its role in inciting unrest in India.
Speaking at an event, the AIMIM chief also questioned the rationale behind granting loans to Pakistan, accusing the country of spreading discord under the guise of religion.
“Official bheek mange hain Pakistani,” Owaisi remarked.
“They’re taking a $1 billion loan from the IMF. What has Pakistan done in the past 75 years? Who forced them to go to the IMF for a loan? This isn’t the International Monetary Fund for them; it’s the international militant fund,” Owaisi added.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board approved a fresh $1.4 billion loan to Pakistan under its climate resilience fund, alongside the first review of its $7 billion program, which freed about $1 billion in cash.
“Pakistan’s policy efforts under the (program) have already delivered significant progress in stabilizing the economy and rebuilding confidence, amidst a challenging global environment,” the IMF said in a statement.
Owaisi denounced the international community for providing financial aid to Pakistan despite its ongoing aggression against India.
Owaisi questions Pakistan’s economic handling
He challenged Pakistan's economic management and accused it of exploiting religion to sow discord and destabilise peace between Hindus and Muslims.
“How did the USA, Germany, and Japan agree to fund them when attacks are happening on our land, our homes, and our soldiers, and yet they’re getting loans? Forget running a government, Pakistan doesn’t even know how to manage an economy,” he continued.
“They sit over there and lecture us on Islam. This is their dangerous policy to disrupt peace here, to create division between Hindus and Muslims,” Owaisi added.
India abstained from the IMF vote on Pakistan’s loan, citing concerns over past misuse and fears of funds supporting cross-border terrorism.
India questioned the effectiveness of past IMF programs for Pakistan and raised alarm about the military's involvement in economic affairs, stressing the risks of funding terrorism and the reputational risks it poses to global financial institutions.
“Had the previous programs succeeded in putting in place a sound macro-economic policy environment, Pakistan would not have approached the IMF for yet another bail-out program,” the Indian ministry of finance said in a statement, questioning “either the effectiveness of the IMF program designs in case of Pakistan or their monitoring or their implementation by Pakistan.”
