NEW DELHI: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday criticized the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for approving a $1 billion loan tranche to Pakistan amid rising military tensions with India, calling it a move that effectively “reimburses all the ordnance used against India.”
In a sharply worded post on X (formerly Twitter), Abdullah questioned the timing and intention behind the IMF’s financial assistance, following Pakistan’s alleged cross-border drone and missile attacks that have escalated regional instability.
“The IMF reimburses Pakistan for all the ordnance used against India and then some more. This isn’t a loan for development or economic reforms—it’s blood money,” Abdullah said.
IMF’s Loan Disbursement
The IMF recently approved the release of the final $1.1 billion tranche of a $3 billion bailout package to Pakistan, citing economic reforms and improved fiscal performance. However, critics have questioned the disbursal amid Pakistan’s heightened military activity and accusations of harboring terrorist elements.
Rising Tensions and Operation Sindoor
India’s Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory military action against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), followed the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people. Since then, military exchanges have intensified, and Pakistan has launched multiple drone and missile strikes targeting Indian military and civilian installations.
Abdullah’s remarks echo broader concerns in Indian political and security circles over international financing reaching regimes allegedly engaged in state-sponsored terrorism or hostile actions against neighboring nations.
