The Impressive TimesNew Delhi : The Indian government on Friday strongly contested the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) decision to grant a $2.3 billion bailout package to Pakistan, arguing that the move undermines regional stability amid escalating cross-border hostilities. A day later, Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah joined in, sharply criticizing the IMF for financially supporting a country that, he said, is actively involved in military aggression against Indian territory.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Abdullah accused the IMF of “essentially reimbursing” Pakistan for its use of military ordinance in Jammu and Kashmir. He alleged that the funds provided under the bailout are indirectly fueling Pakistan’s intensified airstrikes and drone activities, which have recently targeted regions such as Poonch, Rajouri, and Akhnoor.
“While India tracks and neutralizes dozens of drones violating our airspace, and while our forces are forced to respond to repeated provocations, the IMF decides to reward the aggressor with billions in aid,” Abdullah wrote. “Is this financial assistance or an incentive to destabilize the region further?”
The criticism comes as tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors have surged, with Pakistan reportedly launching coordinated drone incursions into 26 Indian locations on Friday. In response, India carried out targeted airstrikes on three Pakistani airbases—Nur Khan, Murid, and Rafiqui—on Saturday morning.
The Indian government has expressed concern that the IMF’s financial assistance to Islamabad is not sufficiently conditional or scrutinized, particularly when Pakistan is accused of supporting terror infrastructure and cross-border militancy. Government sources said the aid risks being diverted toward military expenditures rather than economic reforms or development, as originally intended under IMF protocols.
Omar Abdullah’s remarks reflect growing domestic political sentiment in India against what is seen as international leniency towards Pakistan’s economic mismanagement and military adventurism. He also questioned whether the IMF had evaluated the geopolitical consequences of its decision in the midst of active hostilities.
Meanwhile, the IMF has yet to respond to either India’s official objections or Abdullah’s public statement. The $2.3 billion loan package is part of a larger structural adjustment agreement aimed at stabilizing Pakistan’s struggling economy, but critics argue that Islamabad’s continued allocation of resources toward its defense sector undermines the intended civilian benefit of such bailouts.
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