Pakistan appeals for loans citing 'heavy losses', later says X account hacked

Pakistan found itself in an awkward position on Friday following a social media post that appeared to seek urgent financial assistance from international lenders, citing economic losses amid soaring tensions with India.Also read: PIB trolls Pakistan with 'Golmaal' jibe as Islamabad seeks 'loans' and then retracts"Govt of Pakistan appeals to International Partners for more loans after heavy losses inflected by enemy. Amid escalating war and stocks crash, we urge international partners to help de-escalate. Nation urged to remain steadfast," a post from Pakistan's Economic Affairs Division said.Following widespread attention, the ministry of economic affairs quickly issued a denial, claiming their account had been hacked. A ministry spokesperson told news agency Reuters they were working to deactivate the account, however, the post remained visible even after the clarification.“We are working to have the Twitter (X) switched off,” a ministry spokesperson told Reuters, insisting they “did not tweet” the appeal.Pakistan is currently one of the largest debtors to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with around USD 8.8 billion outstanding. Ratings agency Moody’s has already warned that any sustained military escalation with India could damage Pakistan’s economic stability, strain fiscal consolidation efforts, and undermine growth prospects. The Karachi Stock Exchange’s KSE-100 index has dropped over 7,500 points approximately 6%—since late April, reflecting market fears over the escalating conflict.On May 7 India’s launched “Operation Sindoor” in retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 civilians dead. The Army struck nine terror-linked sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The operation targeted facilities associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.In response, Pakistan attempted to retaliate with drone and missile strikes on Indian military facilities across Northern and Western India, including Jammu, Amritsar, Pathankot, and Bhuj. These attempts were thwarted by India's integrated air defence systems. Indian forces subsequently hit back by destroying several Pakistani air defence systems, including one in Lahore.