ISLAMABAD: An alliance of opposition factions in Pakistan asked its lawmakers on Tuesday to submit their resignations from the national and provincial assemblies to the heads of their parties by December 31, as its top leaders pledged to fuel their campaign to bring down the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) emerged as a major political platform of various opposition forces after a multiparty conference was arranged on September 20 that decided to launch anti-government agitation and galvanize their workers and supporters all over the country.
The opposition alliance has already conducted public rallies in various Pakistani cities, and it is planning to hold another one in the eastern city of Lahore on December 13.
It held an important meeting on Tuesday to determine the alliance's future strategy before announcing its resignation move.
"All opposition lawmakers in national and provincial assemblies should send their resignations to their party leaders by December 31," said the president of the alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
He was also accompanied by Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice President Maryam Nawaz.
Rehman added that a PDM steering committee would hold a meeting on Wednesday to determine the nuts and bolts of the strategy and determine when to hold wheel-jam and shutter-down strikes in the country.
The committee will also determine the appropriate time to stage a long march against the government and bring the opposition activists and supporters to Islamabad.
The PDM president said the decisions taken by the committee would be announced in the upcoming public rally in Lahore, adding it would be a "historic" political event that would prove instrumental in bringing down the government.
Prime Minister Khan and his party have already dismissed the opposition strategy to resign, saying they would hold by-elections in all the vacant constituencies.
Pakistan opposition alliance asks lawmakers to submit resignations by December 31
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Pakistan opposition alliance asks lawmakers to submit resignations by December 31
- The Pakistan Democratic Alliance will flesh out its anti-government strategy on Wednesday and determine when to hold wheel-jam and shutter-down strikes in the country
- Prime Minister Imran Khan has already dismissed the opposition strategy to resign, saying he will hold by-elections in all vacant constituencies
Pakistan receives $1.2 billion from IMF under EFF, RSF loan programs— central bank
- IMF Executive Board approved Pakistan’s second review under EFF, first review under RSF loan programs this week
- Disbursements from IMF have been crucial for cash-strapped Pakistan as it tries to recover from economic crisis
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s central bank announced on Thursday that it has received $1.2 billion under the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) External Fund Facility and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) loan programs.
The IMF approved a $7 billion bailout package for Pakistan under its EFF program in September 2024 while in May 2025, it approved a separate $1.4 billion loan to Pakistan under its climate resilience fund. The RSF will support Pakistan’s efforts in building economic resilience to climate vulnerabilities and natural disasters.
The global lender approved Pakistan’s second review under its $7 billion EFF program and first review under the RSF loan on Tuesday. As per the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the central bank received a combined sum of $1.2 billion under the EFF and RSF on Dec. 10.
“The amount would be reflected in SBP’s foreign exchange reserves for the week ending on Dec. 12, 2025,” the SBP said in a statement.
IMF bailouts have been crucial for cash-strapped Pakistan, which has been struggling with a prolonged economic crisis that has exhausted its financial reserves and weakened its currency. Pakistan came to the brink of a sovereign default in 2023 before a last-gasp IMF bailout package helped it avert the crisis.
Pakistan has had to take tough decisions to comply with the IMF’s loan requirements, which include scrapping subsidies from food and fuel items to trigger inflation. Since then, Pakistan has attempted to regain stability by sharply reducing inflation and recording a current account surplus.
The disbursement, however, comes at an important time for the South Asian country as it mitigates losses from a deadly monsoon season that killed over 1,000 people since late June and caused at least $2.9 billion in damages to agriculture and infrastructure.
