At the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting on April 16 that gave a green signal to $1.4 billion aid to Islamabad to enable the country to face the economic impact of the coronavirus, the Indian representative had red-flagged concerns that Pakistan’s Covid-19 spending might discriminate against its minorities and could be diverted to enhanced security spending.
Surjit S Bhalla, who is the executive director for India on the board of the IMF, had stressed that Pakistan’s health and social safety net spending should be comprehensive, targeted and non-discriminatory. He also pointed out that budgetary resources should be made available to all regions of Pakistan as the Covid-19 situation was much worse in Balochistan and Sindh province. Read More…
