After US, Pakistan's Army Chief 'Seeks Help From UAE, Saudi Arabia Over IMF Loan Deal'

Last month, the Pakistan Army chief reportdely reached out to the Joe Biden administration for an early dispersal of a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The financial agency was yet to release $1.2 billion under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreement signed between the institution and the cash-strapped nation in 2019.

Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has sought assistance from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to help Islamabad secure an immediate release of $1.2 billion in funds under the IMF program, Geo News reported on Friday.

The news of General Bajwa allegedly calling on the UAE and Saudi Arabia to influence the IMF on the matter came days after former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan lambasted him for allegedly approaching the United States for an immediate dispersal of an IMF loan.

"If the news of Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa contacting the United States officials for early dispersal of loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was true, it means we [Pakistan] are getting weaker," Khan told Geo TV.

According to a report in Nikkei Asia, the army chief reached out to US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and urged the White House and Treasury to press the IMF to expedite the bailout process.

Pakistan and the IMF signed an agreement on the release of the remaining amount under the EFF in July. The final approval regarding the deal, however, is only expected after the IMF's Executive Board takes up the matter later this month.