From Begging Bowl to ‘Equal Partner’ — Shahbaz Sharif’s Claim Rings Hollow as Pakistan Seeks Yet Another IMF Bailout

International News: The veil is finally lifted — Pakistan, known for pleading before the world for aid, has now itself confessed to what the international community had whispered for years. In a speech to army officers in Quetta on Saturday, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said, "Now the time has come that Pakistan should come forward not as a begging country, but as a partner of trade and innovation."

There is a journey to be made from begging to trade: Sharif

Addressing military officers at the Command and Staff College, Shahbaz Sharif said, "We cannot knock on the doors of others every time in the hope of help. We will now have to make ourselves self-reliant and join global partnerships as strong partners." This statement has caught the attention of analysts around the world because for the first time a Pakistani Prime Minister has openly admitted to 'begging' on the international stage

Trust in traditional allies, but looking for a new direction

In his address, Sharif praised China as Pakistan’s “most reliable and time-tested friend” and described Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, and Qatar as “steadfast strategic partners.” But this time his tone was somewhat different. He made it clear that these countries now want to engage with Pakistan as development partners and cannot remain just a source of economic aid.

IMF and China again provided support, but self-reliance is still far

Recently, the IMF has approved a new relief package of $1 billion for Pakistan, while China has assured to reissue commercial loans worth $3.7 billion. The Pakistani rupee continues to depreciate against the US dollar, while the country’s foreign exchange reserves have plunged to critically low levels. In these circumstances, Sharif's words of 'participation, not begging' sound good, but the situation on the ground tells a different story.

Water crisis and Indus dispute increase anxiety

Amidst economic turmoil, Pakistan now grapples with a growing water crisis. Tensions with India are deepening over the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistani MP Syed Ali Zafar has warned that if the water dispute is not resolved soon, a large population of Pakistan may fall victim to a food crisis.

New Pakistan or the same old story?

This statement of Shahbaz Sharif may show the intention of change, but the ground reality of Pakistan is something else - continuous debt, a falling economy, and decreasing resources. In such a situation, it would be premature to say whether Pakistan is actually coming out of the bowl and moving towards partnership or whether this is also just another diplomatic statement.