Secret Pakistani arms sales to the US to b𒉰e used by Ukraine helped cash-strapped Islamabad secure a crucial IMF bailout earlier this year, a report cited internal Pakistani and American government documents as confirming.
The arms sales were made for the purpose of supplying the Ukrainian military — marking Pakistani involvement in a 👍conflict it had faced US pressure to take sides on, the Intercept, an online investigative website has reported.
Pakistan's Foreign Office Spokesperson M🍬umtaz Zahra Baloch on Monday, however, rejected as “baseless and fabricated” the American non-profit news organisation's report, saying that the cash-strapped coun🎃try provided arms to the US to get its support to clinch the USD 3 billion deal with the IMF towards the end of June to avoid default.
Pakistan has struggled to maintain a balance in ties with the Kremlin and Washington since the Russia-Ukraine crisis began﷽ earlier last year.
“The IMF Standby Arrangement for Pakistan was s🐭uccessfully negotiated between Pakistan and the IMF to implement difficult but essential economic reforms. Giving any other colour to these negotiations is disingenuous,” Dawn News quoted Baloch as say🅷ing.
B🅺aloch said Pakistan maintained a policy of “strict neutraℱlity” in the dispute between the two countries and did not provide them any arms or ammunition in that context.
“Pakistan’s defence exports are always accompanied by str൩ict end-user requirements,” ♛she said.
During a visit to Pakistan in July, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had rejected similar reports that Islamabad ♑was supplying arms to Ukraine to support its military during the ongoing conflict with Russia, according to Dawn.
He had clarified that the two nations had no deal 𒈔for the supply of arms and ammunition.
Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had also expressed similar views, maintaining that Pakistan had not signed any agreement withꦏ Ukraine for military supplies since the war began.
An earlier report had also claimed Pakistan set up a defence trading firm in Warsaw to smoothen the process of arms supplies to Uꦆkraine.
In April in an i𒊎nterview with BBC, a Ukrainian commander had talked about receiving rockets from other countries includꦇing Pakistan.
But officials strongly reject claims of providing any ammunition𝓀 to Ukraine insisting the country maintained a “policy of♋ strict neutrality”.
An official, however, had said if a third party supplied weapons purchased from Pakistan to another country, itꦆ was their responsibility.
The revelation is a window into the kind of behind-the-scenes manoeuvring between finanꦡcial and political elites that rarely are exposed to the publicꦚ, even as the public pays the price, the Intercept report said.
The Russia-Ukraine crisis began last year when President Vladimir Puti🌱n ordered the latter’s invasion on February 24.
In July, t🌳he IMF transferred USD 1.2 billion to cash-strapped Pakistan, part of the U♌SD 3 billion bailout programme for nine months to support the government’s efforts to stabilise the country's ailing economy.
