Pakistan's IMF Exit Claim: Khawaja Asif's "Fantasy Economics" Faces $10.6B Reality Check

• Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif claimed the country would not need IMF aid in six months, citing defence export potential.
• This claim is based on unverified military success during "Operation Sindoor" against India and ignores Pakistan's deep financial crisis.
• Despite potential defence deals, Pakistan's $10.6 billion debt to IMF and structural economic issues cannot be resolved by arms exports.
• Pakistan has a history of 24 IMF programs since 1958, with recent bailouts highlighting its continued dependence and inability to access normal borrowing channels.
• IMF conditions expose "state capture" by elites, low GDP growth, high poverty, and crushing debt, making Asif's optimism "political theatre."

Why It Matters: Pakistan's claim of IMF independence is unrealistic, masking deep structural economic issues and continued bailout dependence.