NNA |
Updated: June 13, 2022 11:16 am STI

Islamabad [Pakistan]Jun 13 (ANI): Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s anti-American rhetoric and accusations against the United States of conspiring to oust him from power are hurting the country’s relations with the West, according to a report. to analyse.
Pakistan’s economy already faces a huge challenge and the country often turns to Western-led multilateral financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
Islamabad’s economic woes dictate it should mend fences with the west as Khan had turned to help the country’s economy to the Washington-based IMF, which has provided 22 bailouts to Pakistan since 1958, reported The Hill.
On the brink of default, Pakistan needs a $41 billion inflow over the next year to repay maturing loans and stay afloat. Its economy still depends on an IMF lifeline, while Russia is unable to help Pakistan and China has adopted a wait-and-see approach.

Apart from this, the West also has significant influence over the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a watchdog for money laundering and terrorist financing. This is essentially crucial as the FATF continues to keep Pakistan on the ‘grey list’ for terrorist financing.
Khan has been quite vocal about Pakistan’s partnership with Russia, but his assertions do not hold up to scrutiny.
In 2020, Pakistan’s exports to Russia amounted to USD 279 million while imports from Russia amounted to USD 699 million. In the same year, Pakistan exported $4 billion worth of goods to the United States and $6 billion to the EU. Last year, Pakistani exports to the United States reached $6.1 billion and to the EU $6.6 billion.
These figures reveal the irrelevance of Khan’s ideological rhetoric on a renewed “struggle for freedom” against Western influence, according to the media portal.
A cricketer-turned-politician, Imran Khan’s bold statements about Washington’s role in an alleged “foreign conspiracy” to oust him from power could negatively impact bilateral relations and could make US officials more cautious in their interactions with Pakistani officials, diplomatic observers said. (ANI)