PIB mocks Pakistan's loan appeal with 'Golmaal' meme, Islamabad claims X account was hacked

The meme quickly went viral, with social media users reacting with a mix of amusement and criticism.

India's Press Information Bureau (PIB) responded to a post from Pakistan's Ministry of Economic Affairs with a meme from the Bollywood film "Golmaal", amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

The controversy began when the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Pakistan's Economic Affairs Division posted an appeal to international partners for additional loans, citing "heavy losses inflicted by enemy" and a crashing stock market amid escalating conflict with India.

The post read: "Govt of Pakistan appeals to International Partners for more loans after heavy losses inflicted by enemy. Amid escalating war and stocks crash, we urge international partners to help de-escalate. Nation urged to remain steadfast."

The message, which included a misspelling of "inflicted" as "inflected," was later deleted. Pakistan's Ministry of Economic Affairs claimed that the account had been hacked and disavowed the appeal, stating that they were working to deactivate the compromised account.

In response, PIB's official X account shared a meme featuring a scene from "Golmaal", with the Hindi caption: "Yeh koi tareeka hai bheek maangne ka? (Is this any way to beg?)".

https://t.co/zLTqIpqPLv pic.twitter.com/4rcYLLHJiS
PIB India (@PIB_India) May 9, 2025

The meme quickly went viral, with social media users reacting with a mix of amusement and criticism. While some praised PIB's witty retort, others questioned the appropriateness of such a response amid serious geopolitical tensions.

The incident occurs against the backdrop of heightened hostilities between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, which resulted in the deaths of 25 Indian and one Nepali citizen.

India retaliated by targeting nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequent exchanges of gunfire and airstrikes have led to blackouts in several Indian border towns, temporary closures of educational institutions, and disruptions in air travel, with over 20 airports in northern India temporarily shut down.

Amid these developments, Pakistan is reportedly seeking a new $1.3 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under its Resilience and Sustainability Facility. A key IMF meeting to discuss this request is scheduled for today. Pakistan's economy, already under strain, faces further challenges due to the ongoing conflict, with credit rating agency Moody's warning that sustained hostilities could hinder Pakistan's fiscal consolidation and macroeconomic stability.

In contrast, Moody's anticipates minimal impact on India's economy, aside from increased defence spending. India's GDP reached approximately $3.88 trillion in 2024, significantly outpacing Pakistan's $0.37 trillion economy. India is projected to become the world's fourth-largest economy in 2025.