Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir played a “key role” in seeking the financial loan from the United Arab Emirates when he served as the Inter-Services Intelligence director general during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf tenure, former finance minister Asad Umar has claimed.

“Times have come that we are celebrating loans. An old loan and they have only told us that we are not taking backing from you. We will take it next year and so much happiness on this,” he said while appearing on Rubaroo which was aired on Aaj News on Thursday

“I was the finance minister when we got this $2 billion loan from UAE. I must tell you that the then DG ISI and incumbent army chief General Asim Munir played a key role in it,” Umar said.

When pressed, the former finance minister said that he, along with jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and imprisoned ex-foreign minister Shah Qureshi, had visited the country together. He claimed that former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had prior sent Gen Munir to the Gulf country.

He went on to add that he and Gen Munir were together in a meeting with the close representative of the UAE Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in final negotiations. “So, I can tell you that he had a main role in it.”

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the cabinet that the UAE has agreed to roll over the payment of $2 billion due by Pakistan this month.

Securing external financing has been a crucial requirement for the International Monetary Fund to greenlight the $7 billion bailout package for Pakistan.

In the previous year, Pakistan received vital support from friendly nations, including China, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, which played a significant role in helping the country secure the IMF programme.

The next review by the IMF of its $7 billion, 37-month loan programme to Pakistan is expected in February.

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Pakistan’s $350 billion economy has struggled for decades with boom-and-bust cycles, needing 23 IMF bailouts since 1958.

On Sunday, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan highlighted the emirate’s “keen interest” in collaborating with Pakistan in the mining, minerals, and agriculture sectors.

He said this during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who called on him in Rahim Yar Khan, according to a statement. The UAE president also reiterated the UAE’s commitment to enhancing its longstanding partnership with Pakistan, emphasising the importance of people-to-people connections and shared prosperity.