KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Tuesday the inspector general (IG) of police in the Sindh province, Mushtaq Ahmed Mehar, had been abducted on Monday by paramilitary troops, who forced him to sign an order to arrest an opposition leader.
Opposition leader Muhammad Safdar, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN) party, was arrested on Monday following a protest at the tomb of the country’s founder in Karachi, capital of the southern province of Sindh that the PPP rules. He is the son-in-law of Nawaz Sharif, three time prime minister of Pakistan and the head of the PMLN, which is part of a recently formed opposition alliance that is leading street protests against the central government.
On Tuesday night, Pakistan’s army ordered a probe into the alleged abduction of the provincial police chief following an outcry over the incident.
“Who besieged the IG’s house at 2am,” the PPP chairman asked reporters at a press conference. “Who were the two people who entered his residence and where was he taken at 4am?”
Several top officials of Sindh police submitted leave applications to the provincial administration to protest the alleged abduction of their chief, saying they could not fulfill their duties in such a “stressful situation” and needed to take some time off to come out of the “state of shock.”
“The chief minister [Murad Ali Shah] has announced an investigation,” said the PPP chairman. “The officers are resigning and proceeding on leave one by one. This is matter of their dignity.”
Referring to Safdar’s arrest, he said: “It was shameful. No matter how much I condemn it, it will still be insufficient. I am ashamed. I am not able to show my face to anyone after what has happened in my province.”
“I demand of the [Director General Inter-Services Intelligence] General Faiz Hameed and [Chief of Army Staff] General Qamar Javed Bajwa to investigate their institutions to see how they are working in this province. Whoever has given you this advice, this is wrong and will damage the dignity of your institutions,” he added.
Safdar’s wife and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice President Maryam Sharif has said in a press talk that the Sindh police chief was picked up by Rangers, a paramilitary force, and “taken to the sector commander’s office” where he was forced to issue arrest orders for Safdar.
“Taking notice of the Karachi incident, the COAS has directed Commander Karachi Corps to immediately inquire into the circumstances to determine the facts and report back as soon as possible,” the army’s media wing said in a statement on Tuesday night.
It was later announced that the army chief also telephoned the PPP chairman to discuss the situation with him. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has also formed a ministerial committee to probe the matter.
Bilawal says Sindh police forced to arrest ex-PM's son-in-law as army orders probe
https://arab.news/9f2zk
Bilawal says Sindh police forced to arrest ex-PM's son-in-law as army orders probe
- Pakistan’s army ordered a probe into the alleged abduction of the provincial police chief following an outcry over the incident
- Several top officials of Sindh police submit leave applications to record their protest against the alleged abduction of their chief
IMF board to approve Pakistan reviews today ‘if all goes well,’ say officials
- IMF’s executive board is scheduled to meet today to discuss the disbursement of $1.2 billion
- Economists say the money will boost Pakistan’s forex reserves, send positive signals to investors
KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive board is scheduled to meet today, Monday, to approve the release of about $1.2 billion for Pakistan under the lender’s two loan facilities, said IMF officials who requested not to be named.
The IMF officials confirmed the executive board was going to decide on the Fund’s second review under the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and first review under the $1.4 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), a financing tool that provides long-term, low-cost loans to help countries address climate risks.
“The board meeting will be taking place as planned,” an IMF official told Arab News.
“The board is on today yes as per the calendar,” said another.
A well-placed official at Pakistan’s finance ministry also confirmed the board meeting was scheduled today to discuss the next tranche for Pakistan.
The IMF executive board’s meeting comes nearly two months after a staff-level agreement (SLA) was signed between the two sides in October.
Procedurally, the SLAs are subject to approval by the executive board, though it is largely viewed as a formality.
“If all goes well, the reviews should pass,” said the second IMF official.
On approval, Pakistan will have access to about $1 billion under the EFF and about $200 million under the RSF, the IMF said in a statement in October after the SLA.
The fresh transfer will bring total disbursements under the two arrangements to about $3.3 billion, it added.
Experts see smooth sailing for Pakistan in terms of the passing of the two reviews, saying the IMF disbursements will help the cash-strapped nation to strengthen its balance of payments position.
Samiullah Tariq, group head of research at Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company Limited, said the IMF board’s approval will show that Pakistan’s economy is on the right path.
“It obviously will help strengthen [the country’s] external sector, the balance of payments,” he told Arab News.
Until recently, Pakistan grappled with a macroeconomic crisis that drained its financial resources and triggered a balance of payments crisis.
Pakistan has reported financial gains since 2022, recording current account surpluses and taming inflation that touched unprecedented levels in mid-2023.
Economists also viewed the IMF’s bailout packages as crucial for cash-strapped Pakistan, which has relied heavily on financing from bilateral partners such as Saudi Arabia, China and the United Arab Emirates, as well as multilateral lenders.
Saudi Arabia, through the Saudi Fund for Development, last week extended the term of its $3 billion deposit for another year to help Pakistan boost its foreign exchange reserves, which stood at $14.5 billion as of November 28, according to State Bank of Pakistan statements.
“In our view this [IMF tranche] will be approved,” said Shankar Talreja, head of research at Karachi-based brokerage Topline Securities Limited.
“This will help strengthen reserves and will eventually help a rating upgrade going forward,” he said.
The IMF board’s nod, Talreja said, would also send a signal to the international and local investors regarding the continuation of the reform agenda by Pakistan’s government.
