Amid intensifying tensions following India’s Operation Sindoor, the Pakistani government found itself in a fresh controversy on Friday after a post from the official Economic Affairs Division (EAD) account on X (formerly Twitter) appeared to appeal for international loans to cope with the financial fallout of India’s cross-border military action. The post also highlighted crashing stock markets and urged the global community to help de-escalate the situation.
However, the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Fact Checker account swiftly called the post “fake” and claimed the EAD account was hacked.
“The account was hacked,” the Ministry stated, alongside a screenshot of the alleged post. It did not provide further evidence or elaborate on the circumstances surrounding the supposed breach.
The now-deleted post reportedly expressed distress over the growing financial strain caused by India’s military operations targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK). It allegedly included a plea to international financial institutions and allies for emergency assistance.
Operation Sindoor’s Economic Impact
Launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, Operation Sindoor has seen Indian forces target key terror hideouts in Pakistan with precision airstrikes and covert ground operations. The military escalation has triggered significant economic jitters in Pakistan, with the Karachi Stock Exchange seeing sharp dips and investor sentiment plummeting amid fears of prolonged conflict.
While the Indian government remains firm in its security stance, Pakistani officials are scrambling to manage both domestic instability and global perception—making the alleged hacking incident particularly sensitive.
Global Reaction and Concerns
Though no major financial body has commented on the purported appeal, the situation raises questions about Pakistan’s fiscal resilience and whether it may seek another International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout or other emergency financial mechanisms if the conflict escalates further.
Security analysts believe that such digital incidents—whether legitimate or fabricated—can have far-reaching diplomatic and economic consequences, especially in a conflict zone.
