PM Sharif admits Pakistan’s financial woes, says no ally expects him to come with ‘begging bowl’

In what comes as a huge embarrassment for Pakistan, PM Shehbaz Sharif has recently revealed that none of Islamabad’s allies expected him to come to them with a “begging bowl”.

His statement came amidst Pakistan’s heightened tensions with India and weeks after a four-day military conflict with the Indian armed forces.

Sharif said both the government and the army were no longer willing to carry the weight of the country’s economic dependency.

The Pakistani prime minister was addressing military personnel in Quetta on Saturday (May 31). In his speech, he called China “a time-tested friend” and Saudi Arabia a “trusted” ally. Pakistan reportedly used China-made military equipment, including jets, in its conflict with India in May.

“China is the most time-tested friend of Pakistan. Saudi Arabia is one of the most reliable and trustworthy friends of Pakistan. This applies to Turkey, Qatar and the UAE,” he said.

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“But let me point out abundantly here that they expect us now to engage them in trade, commerce, innovation, research and development, education and health, investments, and profitable ventures mutually. They no longer expect us to go there with a begging bowl,” PM Sharif added.

Sharif emphasised that Pakistan must fully leverage its natural and human resources to overcome economic difficulties, stating that both he and Field Marshal Asim Munir are unwilling to continue bearing the weight of dependency.

“I am the last person, along with Field Marshal Asim Munir, to carry this (economic) burden any more on our shoulders. The Almighty has blessed us with natural and human resources. We must make full use of them and deploy them for these very profitable ventures,” he further said.

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The Pakistani PM’s comments were made as allies like Turkey supported Islamabad and criticised India’s strikes on terror camps in the neighbouring country.

On May 7, India initiated Operation Sindoor , targeting nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. The operation resulted in the deaths of 100 terrorists from Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.