Imran Khan will write to IMF to halt aid over 'rigged' election, says PTI leader

Pakistan's former prime minister and founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan will write a letter to the International Monetary Fund, asking it to stop assisting Pakistan due to "rigged elections," PTI leader Ali Zafar announced on Thursday.

"Imran Khan will issue a letter to the IMF today. The charter of IMF, EU, and other organisations stipulates that they can function or provide loans to a country only if there's good governance," Zafar told journalists after meeting Khan at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, according to local media reports.

According to a Geo TV report, Zafar claimed that the "most important section" of their charter is that a country should be democratic.

"If there's no democracy, then neither can these institutions function in those countries, nor should they," he said.

Zafar added, "The basic pillar of a democracy is a free and fair election. However, the entire world saw how the nation's mandate was stolen. Let's leave pre-poll rigging aside, in post-poll rigging, victory was snatched from PTI's winning candidates."

The Geo TV report states that this isn't the first time that PTI will try to affect the IMF deal.

Earlier in 2022, its ex-leader Shaukat Tarin had told PTI's then-finance ministers of KP and Punjab that they should "tell the IMF that the commitment made to them cannot be fulfilled" and to cite the recent devastation caused by floods in the country as the reason behind it.

Pakistan secured a short-term $3 billion programme from the IMF last year which helped to avert a sovereign debt default. It will run out next month and securing a new and much bigger one is widely seen as the priority for the new administration.