Pakistan seeks loans over 'heavy losses', later claims account was hacked

The Pakistan government on Thursday appealed to international partners, including the World Bank, for additional loans, reported Reuters. The appeal reportedly cited “heavy losses inflicted by the enemy” following Indian military strikes on Wednesday.

The message, posted by Pakistan's Economic Affairs Division on X (formerly Twitter), 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.”

However, Reuters later withdrew the report, issuing an advisory that the story was incorrect and had been taken down. “The story headlined 'Pakistan asks international partners for loans, citing heavy losses inflicted by enemy' is wrong and is withdrawn,” it said. The Ministry of Economic Affairs later clarified that its X account had been hacked, disowning the contents of the post.



The now-debunked statement came just hours before a crucial meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) board in Washington, where Pakistan’s pending bailout package is under consideration.

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India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri addressed the situation, stating that India’s executive director at the IMF would present New Delhi’s stance during the meeting. “I’m sure that our executive director will put forward India’s position,” Misri said during a press briefing. He also noted that Pakistan has a history of incomplete IMF bailouts, with many of the 24 packages previously sanctioned failing to reach a successful conclusion.

Cross-Border escalation and retaliation

Indian Army officials confirmed that the Pakistan Armed Forces launched multiple attacks across the Western border using drones and other munitions during the night of May 8–9. Additionally, Pakistani troops carried out numerous ceasefire violations (CFVs) along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army stated that all drone attacks were effectively repulsed and that a “befitting response” had been delivered.

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On Thursday night, Indian forces successfully neutralised Pakistani attempts to target military installations in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur, and other strategic locations.

In a major retaliatory operation named ‘Operation Sindoor’, India launched missile strikes early Wednesday targeting nine terror infrastructure sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These included the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base in Muridke.

The strikes were carried out in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which resulted in the deaths of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir two weeks ago.