How many times has Pakistan approached the IMF for a bailout package?

Pakistan has sought IMF help 24 times since 1958, yet its economy remains in crisis due to mismanagement and misplaced priorities.

New Delhi: Even after getting bailout packages dozens of times, Pakistan always eschewed basic necessities for its people and continued harboring terrorism from its soil.

As it is unlikely for its army to survive without pestering India. Even though India tried its best to keep Pakistan from getting the bailout package, Pakistan has again gotten hope of relief from the IMF.

The IMF has given it a bailout package of more than 1 billion dollars, reports Dynamite News correspondent.

But this is nothing new—Pakistan has approached the IMF 24 times since 1958 to ask for help. But one question remains inconclusive: why is its economic condition not improving even after so many bailouts?

The condition of Pakistan's economy dates back to very old problems. At one time, its economy was doing better than the Indian economy, but it has had to face continuous economic crises since independence—whether it is the incessant wars with India in 1947, 1965, and 1971; the separation of Bangladesh; or internal political instability.

Pakistan got its first IMF bailout in 1958, and since then it has had to take a new bailout almost once every three years.

Questions have been raised about the bailout amid India-Pakistan tension. Recently there was a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which increased tension between the two countries.

In such an environment, some people found it strange that Pakistan got a bailout, although the IMF said that this decision was taken before the tension.

The economic condition of Pakistan is more clear from the figures. According to the 2024 data of the IMF and the World Bank:

• Its current account balance is -0.5% of GDP.
• FDI, i.e., foreign investment, is only 0.6%.
• It has a total foreign reserve (including gold) of $12.98 billion.

If you compare it with India, Bangladesh, or even Afghanistan, then it becomes clear how weak Pakistan's position is:

• India has a reserve of $569.54 billion.
• Bangladesh has $46.17 billion, Afghanistan has $9.75 billion, and Sri Lanka has $6.05 billion.

Pakistan's foreign debt is constantly increasing. IMF official Nigel Clark has said that as long as the government works honestly for reforms, the debt can be handled.

But if policies go wrong or funding stops, Pakistan may face a currency crisis and a massive decline in the private sector.

This time the IMF has laid special emphasis on matters like tax reform, curbing corruption, and control over government expenditure.

One big reason is that Pakistan's priorities have been wrong. The government has spent more on the military and terrorism-related infrastructure instead of public welfare, education, health, and infrastructure.

Pakistan is under pressure to repay a debt of $130 billion from 2025 to 2027. It has to repay $30 billion in 2025 alone and $100 billion in 2027, which is much more than the help received from the IMF.