Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday strongly criticized the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for disbursing a $2.1 billion bailout package to Pakistan, stating that such financial aid indirectly supports terrorism targeting India.
Addressing Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel at the Bhuj Air Force Station — a key base for Operation Sindoor — Singh said, “Any kind of financial assistance to Pakistan is nothing less than terror funding. The IMF should reconsider its decision.”
Singh’s remarks come amid high tensions following Pakistan’s missile and drone attacks on Indian civilian and military areas last month, which were met with India’s swift retaliation targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Calling the IMF’s bailout decision “deeply concerning,” Singh warned that such support enables a regime that allows its soil to be used for state-sponsored terror. “The IMF’s aid to Pakistan is a form of indirect funding to terror,” he asserted.
Standing before a Jaguar deep-penetration strike aircraft and an S-125 Pechora surface-to-air missile system, Singh praised the IAF’s operational response and highlighted Bhuj’s key role as a launch point for India’s precision strikes during Operation Sindoor.
The IMF disbursed the $2.1 billion in two installments as part of a $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program signed with Pakistan last year. The aid has sparked criticism in India, especially in light of Pakistan’s continued aggression and alleged backing of cross-border terrorism.
