Pakistan refutes Intercept report alleging sale of weapons to Ukraine

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has firmly denied the recent Intercept news report suggesting the sale of Pakistani weaponry to Ukraine in exchange for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package.

In response to inquiries from the media regarding the Intercept’s latest story, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dismissed the report as unfounded and fabricated. Baloch stated, “The IMF Standby Arrangement for Pakistan was successfully negotiated between Pakistan and the IMF to implement challenging yet essential economic reforms. Any attempt to portray these negotiations differently is misleading.”

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She emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to a policy of strict neutrality in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and clarified that Pakistan does not supply arms and ammunition to either party. Baloch added, “Pakistan’s defense exports are subject to rigorous end-user requirements.”

It is worth noting that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) granted a $3 billion loan to Pakistan following the signing of a staff-level agreement. The approval came from the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

According to an official statement, the IMF has directed the immediate disbursement of $1.2 billion, with the remaining $1.8 billion scheduled for disbursement in two installments in November and February, pending policy reviews.

The IMF executive board has stressed the importance of Pakistan adhering to the policies outlined in the IMF agreement and the implementation of budgetary targets.

During a visit to Pakistan in July, Ukra­inian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had similarly rejected reports that Pakistan was supplying arms to Ukraine to support its military during the ongoing conflict with Russia.

He had clarified that the two nations had no deals for the supply of arms and ammunition.