'Official beggars, failed state': Asaduddin Owaisi tears into Pakistan after $1 billion IMF bailout

Calling on global powers to ensure Pakistan’s nuclear disarmament, Owaisi stressed that terrorism emanating from the country must end once and for all.

Hyderabad MP and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi recently launched a scathing attack on Pakistan, labeling the country "official beggars". His comments came shortly after Islamabad received a $1 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on May 9.

Owaisi, in an interview with ANI, said the international community must recognise Pakistan as a “failed state” and take urgent steps to disarm its nuclear weapons.

“Pakistan is a threat to humankind,” he stated, alleging that the IMF loan would be misused to sponsor terrorism rather than address poverty or public health issues.

"'Ye official bheekmange hai' (they are official beggars). The IMF is no longer the International Monetary Fund....it has become the International Militant Fund for Pakistan. How did nations like the USA, Germany, and Japan allow this?" Owaisi asked.

The AIMIM chief also questioned the rationale behind extending financial support to Islamabad amid continued cross-border hostilities, including drone attacks, artillery shelling, and targeted killings in India. He also cited instances of recent civilian casualties, damage to religious places, and attacks on healthcare infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.

Furthermore, the Hyderabad MP referenced the presence of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan’s military garrison in Abbottabad as evidence of the state’s deep-rooted links with terrorism.

“For 75 years, what has Pakistan achieved? Nothing but exporting terror. The world must wake up and act,” he further questioned.

Calling on global powers to ensure Pakistan’s nuclear disarmament, Owaisi stressed that terrorism emanating from the country must end once and for all.

In what can be described as the most hostile cross-border tensions lasting nearly 100 hours between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, India abstained from a key IMF vote that approved the disbursement of approximately $1 billion to Islamabad under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

This approval came after a staff-level agreement was finalised on March 25 between the IMF and Pakistan during the first biannual review of the 39-month, $7 billion loan programme.

While other IMF members backed the loan tranche, New Delhi had expressed reservations over the efficacy and accountability of such financial support to Islamabad. Citing its poor track record in implementing reforms and curbing extremism, India had raised red flags over the risk of misusing IMF funds to finance state-sponsored cross-border terrorism.