Former Afghan VP slams IMF, World Bank aid to Pakistan

Defence affairs

He pointed to a long-standing pattern of leniency, recalling how Western aid flowed uninterrupted even as Pakistan allegedly hosted Taliban leaders, Haqqani militants, and Osama bin Laden.

Amrullah Saleh, Afghanistan’s former vice president has lashed out at global financial institutions, accusing them of tacitly rewarding Pakistan’s war posture and historical ties to militant groups with continued financial aid.

Saleh, on X, questioned why organizations like the IMF, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank ease lending restrictions on Pakistan whenever tensions spike, such as during the recent four-day conflict with India.

“Why is it that every time Pakistan resorts to a war mood, [they] ease restrictions on loans and grants?” he wrote.

He pointed to a long-standing pattern of leniency, recalling how Western aid flowed uninterrupted even as Pakistan allegedly hosted Taliban leaders, Haqqani militants, and Osama bin Laden. “No sanctions at all—not even on the owner of the compound who had rented his property to Al-Qaeda,” Saleh noted, referencing Bin Laden’s 2011 discovery near a major Pakistani military academy.

Global lenders have not publicly addressed Saleh’s accusations. However, lending decisions are primarily shaped by economic stability mandates, not counterterrorism records.

Pakistan’s chronic economic fragility—characterized by ballooning debt and foreign reserve shortages—often places it high on emergency financing lists.