ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said on Sunday that the May 9 attacks involving supporters of ex-PM Imran Khan were an “attempt toward mutiny or civil war,” adding that its target was Pakistan’s serving army chief and his team.
Violent protests broke out in many parts of the country on May 9 after Khan was briefly arrested on graft allegations. Enraged Khan supporters attacked government buildings and military installations, including the official residence of a serving senior army official as they blamed the army for Khan’s arrest.
After initially claiming the attack was in response to his detention, Khan claimed his supporters had largely remained peaceful and the violence was pre-planned and perpetuated by Pakistan’s intelligence agencies in their bid to clamp down on his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
“According to my assessment, this was indeed an attempt toward mutiny or civil war,” Kakar said during his first exclusive interview with a private news channel.
“I think its target as a nucleus was the serving army chief and the team around him. All of them.”
Dozens of top and mid-tier leaders in the PTI have been arrested alongside hundreds of Khan supporters since May 9. Many quit the party after being released while other leaders remain on the run to avoid arrest. Khan— behind bars on corruption allegations— himself faces a slew of cases, including one for leaking state secrets, which carries the death sentence.
When asked why the government had not arrested others involved in the May 9 attacks nor ensured progress regarding the cases of those already imprisoned, Kakar said the caretaker government did not want to come across as one focused on exacting revenge.
“The due process of law will take place,” he said.
On the issue of general elections in Pakistan, the prime minister said it was the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) prerogative to announce the date for polls.
“The law of the land says that the Election Commission of Pakistan has to decide [the date],” he said.
Kakar, however, said that if the matter goes to the superior judiciary, then its decision would be “binding” on the government.
Pakistan’s PM terms May 9 attacks an ‘attempt towards civil war’
https://arab.news/b8kq6
Pakistan’s PM terms May 9 attacks an ‘attempt towards civil war’
- Pakistan’s serving army chief, and his team were target of May 9 attacks, says PM Kakar
- PM Kakar says Pakistan’s election regulator would decide date for upcoming elections
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.
