New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI): Congress MP Manish Tewari slammed the International Monetary Fund's approval of a USD 1 billion loan to Pakistan, terming it 'extremely unfortunate' and said that the 'sympathy' of the IMF towards Pakistan is clearly 'unwarranted.'

'It is extremely unfortunate because the money which goes to Pakistan does not go for the development of the people of Pakistan. It goes to strengthening these terror networks, which then they use to create mayhem in the entire region. And so, the 'sympathy' of the International Monetary Fund towards Pakistan is clearly unwarranted because they are being deliberately oblivious as to how that money is being used,' Tewari told ANI on Saturday.

Tewari further said that Pakistan's intentions are clearly escalatory, and if Pakistan keeps going down this path, it has to understand that there will be a price to pay for it.

'What India did on the intervening night of the 6th and 7th of May 2025 was an act purely in self-defence in consonance with public international law. What Pakistan has been doing since then is a brazen act of aggression, and therefore, there is a clear distinction between what India did and how Pakistan has responded. And so therefore, if Pakistan continues down this path as I earlier stated, then obviously there would be a cost to it and the Indian Armed Forces are imposing that cost,' he added.

Manish Tewari said that Pakistan has to understand that it cannot use terror as a 'state policy' and if they do so they will have to 'pay price.'

'India exercised its right to self-defence in consonance with the United Nations Charter Article 51, which gives every country the right to protect itself from egregious transgressions, which have been happening in the case of Pakistan from across the border in the form of terror. Now, going back many years, Pakistan has chosen to respond to India's inherent right to self-defence in a manner which is escalatory and therefore, Pakistan has to understand that it cannot use terror as a state policy, and if it tries to brazen a town, as it has been attempting to do, it will pay the price,' Tewari said.

On Friday, IMF approved the first review of Pakistan's economic reform programme under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), enabling a disbursement of approximately USD 1 billion.

India, however, firmly opposed providing funds to a country that continues to sponsor cross-border terrorism, warning that such support carries reputational risks for global institutions and undermines international norms.

In a post on X, the IMF said, 'IMF Board approved the first review of Pakistan's economic reform program under the EFF, enabling a disbursement of ~ USD 1 billion, reflecting strong programme implementation which has contributed to continuing economic recovery.'

India abstained from the recent IMF vote on approving a loan to Pakistan, not due to a lack of opposition, but because IMF rules do not permit a formal 'no' vote, sources added.

Meanwhile, the incidents of heavy shelling and cross-border firing were reported from various places aligning with Pakistan border on Saturday. (ANI)