Rajnath Singh Says India Could Have Provided More Financial Aid to Pakistan Than IMF If Relations Were Better
New Delhi, 30th September 2024: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated on Sunday that India would have provided more financial assistance to Pakistan than what it has sought from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if relations between the two nations were better.
Speaking at a rally in Bandipore, Jammu and Kashmir, Singh highlighted the special development package announced by Prime Minister Modi in 2014-15 for Jammu and Kashmir. He noted, “The PM package for J-K has now grown so large that it exceeds the amount Pakistan recently requested from the IMF.”
Quoting former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remark, “You can change friends but not neighbours,” Singh added, “If relations were better, we would have given more financial support to Pakistan than what they asked from the IMF.”
Recently, the IMF approved a $7 billion loan for Pakistan as part of a bailout program to address the country’s severe economic crisis. Pakistan, currently the IMF’s fifth-largest debtor, has received 22 bailout packages since 1958 and owes $6.28 billion to the Fund.
Singh also criticized Islamabad, stating, “Pakistan seeks financial aid from other countries to maintain terrorist activities on its soil.” He emphasized that investigations into terrorist incidents in Kashmir consistently pointed to Pakistani involvement. “Our successive governments have tried to convince Pakistan to stop supporting terror camps, but these efforts have been unsuccessful,” Singh added, as reported by news agency PTI.
He further noted that Pakistan is now isolated globally, mentioning, “Even Turkey, which used to support Pakistan, did not mention Kashmir at the UN General Assembly.”
The Defence Minister also said that Pakistan is “frustrated” after the abrogation of Article 370 and has been attempting to revive terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, which has witnessed a series of recent attacks.
