Amid growing pressure from India’s Operation Sindoor, which continues to dismantle terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has claimed that its Economic Affairs Division’s official X (formerly Twitter) account was hacked after a post surfaced appealing for international loans and de-escalation.
The now-deleted post had drawn significant attention for its admission of “heavy losses inflicted by the enemy” and an appeal to international partners for urgent financial aid. It also cited panic over a crashing stock market and worsening conflict.
In an effort to contain the fallout, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Fact Checker shared a screenshot of the original post and labeled it as “fake”, stating: “The account was hacked.”
However, despite the denial, the economic crisis in Pakistan is no secret. The country remains the fourth-largest debtor to the IMF, with an outstanding loan of approximately USD 8.8 billion. Ratings agency Moody’s recently warned that continued tensions with India could derail Pakistan’s economic recovery and threaten fiscal consolidation and macroeconomic stability.
Meanwhile, the military situation has intensified. On the nights of May 7–9, the Indian Armed Forces repelled multiple drone and missile attacks by Pakistan along the Western Border and Line of Control (LoC), neutralising over 50 drones, according to Indian Army sources.
At a press briefing, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that India’s Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and Air Defence systems successfully neutralised all threats. In retaliation, India targeted air defence radars across Pakistan, including one in Lahore, under Operation Sindoor. “Indian response has been in the same domain with the same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised,” said Colonel Qureshi.
The Indian Army reaffirmed its commitment to national security, stating: “All nefarious designs will be responded with force. The Indian Army remains committed to safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Nation.”
Despite Islamabad’s attempt to distance itself from the viral loan plea, the economic and military setbacks continue to expose deep cracks in Pakistan’s internal stability as Operation Sindoor tightens pressure on both its military and financial infrastructure.
