MEA rebuts Imran Khan's cash transfer 'help', says 'India's stimulus bigger than Pak GDP'

Rebutting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's 'help' to India regarding direct cash transfer, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on Thursday, pointed out that Pakistan was currently under massive debt which covered 90% of their GDP. He added that India's Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus was as large as Pakistan's GDP. Srivastava also maintained that India was also in talks with China to de-escalate their border issues.

MEA: India's stimulus bigger than Pakistan's GDP

ICMR states '0.73% population showed past infections' after conducting first serosurvey

Imran Khan offers to 'help' India with cash-transfer

Earlier in the day, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, offered to help India in mimicking his direct cash transfer, based on a report claiming that '84% Indian households suffered monthly income decrease'. Citing the same report he claimed that '34% of all households won't survive a week without cash assistance'. The study based on data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) was published on May 12 - a day before PM Modi announced the Rs 20 lakh crore 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' package to kickstart the Indian economy.

While India has not requested funds to tide over the COVID-19 crisis from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the direct cash transfer 'hailed' by Khan is a bailout handed by IMF via a three-year loan requested by Khan. In April 2020, he  IMF approved the disbursement of $1.386 billion to Pakistan under the Rapid Financing Instrument to address the economic impact of the Covid-19 shock. This aid was in addition to the $6 billion loan provided by IMF to Khan in July 2019, with a $ 1 billion tranche immediately available.

Delhi civic-bodies claim '2000 COVID deaths till date', while state govt reports 984 dead

Pakistan Army tightens its hold on Pakistan government

While Imran Khan is 'advising' India of handling its affairs, he himself is facing troubles back home as the Pakistan Army generals have taken control of his government, unofficially. Reports state that more than a dozen former and current military officials are heading the state-owned air carrier, the power regulator and the National Institute of Health, which leads Pakistan's pandemic response. Most of these appointments have happened in the last two months, as Khan is reportedly witnessing a hit in popularity.

Embattled Pakistan PM Imran Khan jumps on month-old report, offers India 'help' amid COVID

Pakistan's COVID-19 crisis

On Tuesday, Pakistan, for the first time recorded more than 100 deaths in a single day due to COVID-19 which has infected over 108,000 people in the country. It also showed that at least 35,018 patients have fully recovered from the virus and 2,172 fatalities. Citing the COVID-19 crisis, the World Bank estimates on Wednesday revealed that Pakistan's economy is likely to go into the red zone this fiscal year, with a recovery not likely by next year too.

ICMR reiterates 'no community transmission of COVID-19 in India' as recovered cases rise