World
Pakistan Exported Weapons To Ukraine As A 'Quid Pro Quo' For IMF Bailout: Report
Flags of the United States and Pakistan.
In a significant revelation that confirms Swarajya's earlier assertions, Pakistan exported arms to Ukraine as a quid pro quo for a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
According to an online American non-profit news organisation, The Intercept, Pakistan conducted a secret arms sale to the US, which was intended for Ukraine. In return, the US helped facilitate a $3 billion bailout package for Pakistan, which was approved in June.
This confirms a Swarajya report published nine months ago, in which we asserted that Pakistan was exporting weapons to Ukraine in a bid to secure an IMF bailout package.
Furthermore, the report states that, with the blessing of the US, the Pakistan Army organised a vote of no-confidence against the hugely popular former prime minister, Imran Khan.
This removal led to protests all over the country, which eventually escalated into riots, resulting in the arrest of hundreds of Pakistani citizens.
The report also indicates that US diplomats were displeased with the neutral stance taken by Khan regarding the Russia-Ukraine war.
"US State department diplomats privately expressed anger to their Pakistani counterparts over what they called Pakistan’s 'aggressively neutral' stance on the Ukraine war under Khan," the report states.
In private conversations, US diplomats also warned of dire consequences for Pakistan if Khan remained in power and promised that 'all would be forgiven' if he was removed.
The Ukrainian Army is reportedly facing a shortage of munitions, especially 155mm artillery shells, while the US and European countries are grappling with production issues.
Pakistan is reported to have provided Ukraine with 122mm Grad rockets, 155mm and 122mm artillery shells, mortar rounds, M4A2 propelling bag charges, M82 primers and PDM fuses.
The Intercept corroborated its findings by matching the signatures of an American brigadier general on publicly available mortgage records in the US, cross-referencing Pakistani documents with corresponding US documents, and reviewing publicly available but previously unreported Pakistani disclosures of arms sales to the US, posted by the State Bank of Pakistan.
According to the report, US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu discussed with Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, Masood Khan, how exporting weapons to Ukraine would help shore up Pakistan's finances.
This information would be secretly communicated to IMF officials by the US, thereby creating favourable conditions for the IMF to approve the bailout package.
The weapons sales amounted to approximately $900 million, helping cover the remaining gap in the financing required by the IMF, pegged at roughly $2 billion, the report states.
The IMF spokesperson denied these allegations, stating, "we categorically deny the allegation that there was any external pressure on the IMF in one way or another while discussing support to Pakistan."
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