Pakistani Army Chief Bajwa seeks US help from getting bankrupt, Imran Khan says, it's not Army's job
01 Aug 2022 15:19:24
Pakistan who is on the verge of default is leaving no stone unturned to save itself from getting bankrupt. From increasing taxes to reducing subsidies to make both ends meet is taking heavy toll on the common man. Skyrocketed inflation has already broken all the records and the crumbling Pakistani Rupee against dollar has touched a new low. The rupee slid to a record low of about 240 against the dollar last weekend. Previously, the dollar sold for 225 rupees.
Amidst the deteriorating economic condition and shrinking foreign reserves, Pakistani Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa has sought help from the United States in securing an early disbursement of an International Monetary Fund loan as the high price of energy imports pushes the cash-strapped Pakistan to the brink of a payment crisis.
Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa discussed the issue with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, appealing on Washington to use its influence with the IMF to help Pakistan. Gen Bajwa requested the White House and Treasury Department to urge the IMF to expedite the bailout process and immediately release the nearly $1.2 billion that Pakistan expects to receive under a resumed loan programme.
The International Monetary Fund has already granted Pakistan “staff-level approval” for the USD 1.17 loan in question on July 13, as the cash-strapped country faces the ignominy of a possible debt default due to its depleting foreign exchange reserves.
Bajwa's phone call to Sherman raises multiple embarrassing questions about the state of affairs within Pakistan, about governance, foreign policy, economy, the government, including the army chief's understanding of global affairs and the workings of organisations like the IMF. Well, it's a no hidden secret that Pakistan Army's interference in the Political circles has been way more than needed and it also can't b denied that no matter which political party comes to power but it's the Pakistani Army who indirectly rules the nation.
Pakistan's incumbent PM Shahbaz Sharif is under immense pressure from ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is demanding the government step down and hold snap general elections in Pakistan.
Khan criticized Bajwa for reaching out to Washington, saying “it is not the job of an army chief to talk to the U.S. on financial matters." Khan said ,neither the IMF nor foreign governments trust the Shehbaz administration. He added that the US help would not come without any reciprocal demands and added that he feared those demands would compromise Pakistan's national security.
Khan alleges Shehbaz conspired with USA to orchestrate his government's ouster in a parliamentary vote of confidence in April. He has also accused the army chief Gen.Bajwa of playing a role in his removal from office, charges the army rejects as politically motivated.