Pakistan on Monday rejected an Intercept story alleging that it had sold weapons to Ukraine in order to secure an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package.
Responding to media queries on the story, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch called it "baseless and fabricated".
"The IMF Standby Arrangement for Pakistan was successfully negotiated between Pakistan and the IMF to implement difficult but essential economic reforms," she said and added, "Giving any other colour to these negotiations is disingenuous."
"Pakistan maintains a policy of strict neutrality in the dispute between Ukraine and Russia and in that context, does not provide any arms and ammunition to them," she added.
MoFA spokesperson said, "Pakistan's defence exports are always accompanied by strict end-user requirements."
Talking point
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba downplayed reports of an arms supply agreement with Pakistan during his visit to Islamabad in July.
However, his visit was the first by any foreign minister of Ukraine since the nations established bilateral ties in 1993.
Speaking at a joint news conference with then-Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Kuleba said that there was no "arms supply agreement" between the two countries.
“We want Pakistan by our side the way it finds appropriate for itself,” he said and added, "We know that Pakistan supports our territorial integrity and the rest is in the hands of the Pakistani government to choose appropriate forums to find a way to support a country that is fighting for its sovereignty and territorial integrity against a much stronger neighbour."
