Harmony Foundation condemns IMF's Reckless $1.2 Billion Lifeline to Pakistan

MICHAEL GONSALVES

PUNE, DEC.14

Dr. Abraham Mathai, founder-chairman of Mumbai-based Harmony Foundation, has criticized the International Monetary Fund’s decision to approve an additional $1.2 billion bailout for Pakistan.

He said the IMF is trying to present this move as “economic progress,” but in reality, it is a moral failure and a betrayal of global security.

While the IMF praises itself for supporting a government struggling with repeated crises—such as floods, financial mismanagement, and constant bailouts—this decision only strengthens a state that has long supported terrorism, especially against India, Mathai noted.

"Pakistan has a long and well-documented history of sheltering, supporting, and exporting terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, which continue to carry out deadly attacks across India — from Kashmir to the centre of Delhi.

“By providing crucial financial support to a state that allows these extremist networks to survive through safe havens and hidden assistance, the IMF is not simply helping an economy recover; it is indirectly strengthening terrorism, weakening global efforts against extremism, and ignoring the basic principles of justice that international institutions are meant to uphold," Dr. Mathai pointed out.

He said that by ignoring Pakistan’s long record of violence, the IMF is not helping stabilize an economy — it is indirectly supporting more bloodshed.

Dr Mathai, the former vice chairman of Maharashtra State Minority Commission, said the bailout strengthens a country that shelters, trains, and funds terrorist groups, allowing them to strike again without fear.

“This money could end up dishonoring recent victims of terrorism. Just eight months ago, in April, in the peaceful meadows of Pahalgam in Kashmir — once known for tourism — gunmen from The Resistance Front, a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot supported by Pakistan, opened fire on innocent tourists, especially on the basis of their religion. This attack was not an isolated event; it was another outcome of Pakistan’s ISI-backed terror networks, which pushed the situation to the brink of a near-conflict as India responded firmly,” he noted.

Dr Mathai said, “This was not an isolated event. In November 2025, a powerful car bomb exploded near Delhi’s iconic Red Fort, carried out by operatives linked to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed — the same group responsible for earlier attacks like the 2019 Pulwama bombing. These incidents show the ongoing proxy war run from Islamabad, where groups such as LeT and JeM continue to operate from safe havens, send militants across the border, and plan constant attacks on Indian soil.”

He asserted that the IMF’s decision to give such large funds to Pakistan is a major moral failure and a serious setback to global peace and security.

Dr. Mathai urged the international civil society and global organizations to oppose this shortsighted decision and demand that the funds be suspended until Pakistan can clearly prove it has ended all support for extremist groups.

He said global institutions must place security and justice above unconditional financial assistance, because supporting terrorism even indirectly is unacceptable.