As India persists in fending off a sequence of air raids from over the border, Pakistan on Friday desperately appealed to the international community for further economic aid, citing what it described as "heavy losses suffered at the hands of the enemy."
In a tweet posted on its official X handle, Pakistan's Economic Affairs Division said, "The government of Pakistan appeals to International Partners for more loans after heavy losses inflected by enemy." The tweet further said, "Amid escalating war and stocks crash, we urge international partners to help de-escalate. Nation urged to remain steadfast."
Still, the message had been deleted just as quickly and the Pakistani government had asserted the post was unlawful. The Ministry of Economic Affairs released a statement, claiming that its X account had been "hacked" and distancing the appeal made in the online media.
The timing of the event is significant, occurring just before a critical International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting in Washington on Friday (U.S. time), when a critical bailout package for Pakistan will be on the agenda.
India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri commented on the issue at a press conference, saying that India's executive director at the IMF would put the country's position on the table during the deliberations of the board.
I am confident that our executive director will present the case of India," Misri remarked. "The board's decisions are another thing… But I think the argument in the case of Pakistan should be self-evident to those individuals who liberally open their pockets to bail out this nation," he added, emphasizing the fact that the majority of the 24 IMF bailout packages already approved for Pakistan had not achieved a positive outcome.
At the same time, Indian Army officials said that Pakistan's military forces conducted a series of attacks with drones and other weapons along the entire Western border on the night of May 8-9. There were also many ceasefire violations conducted by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian Army confirmed that all the attempted drone attacks were successfully repelled, and a robust retaliatory action was taken. Indian forces also repelled an attempt by Pakistan to attack several military installations in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur, and other strategic points late Thursday night.
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