
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently approved a $2.4 billion bailout package for Pakistan, days after the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 people. The bailout package involves $1 billion from an existing program and a fresh $1.4 billion climate resilience loan.
India abstained during the IMF vote, indicating its opposition to the bailout package being offered to Pakistan. Even before the IMF released the bailout package for Pakistan, India's western neighbour exhausted it and more than that.
A social media user named Bharath shared a media report from Pakistan and wrote: "They already spent that IMF loan and more even before it was released."
Not only has Pakistan spent the IMF loan and much more, but the cost of conflict that India's western neighbour will have to bear is also pretty humongous.
As per a report by Pakistani media, the total cost of the conflict to Pakistan is estimated at around $4 billion. These costs also reportedly include direct military expenditures such as $800 million for drones and missiles as well as indirect costs like economic disruptions, loss of trade opportunities, and the adverse impact on GDP growth.
The report also mentioned that the Pakistani military's operations cost $25 million per day. These costs reportedly include the costs for personnel, logistics, fuel, maintenance of equipment, and active combat operations.
The operations by Pakistan being conducted against India include ceasefire violations across the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB), drone and missile attacks.
These costs amounted to $300 million, with the drone and missile operations involving Turkish-made unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) Bayraktar TB2s and Ra'ad air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs). The Bayraktar TB2 is known for its effectiveness in modern warfare, which was also seen in Ukraine's conflict with Russia.
Also known as Hatf-VIII, the Ra'ad air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) is a nuclear-capable ALCM developed by Pakistan. The ALCM has a range of around 350-600 km and is designed to evade enemy air defenses.