Dawn
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15:50 Apr 04, 2026
The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday rejected “misleading and unfounded commentary” regarding financial deposits from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), saying this was a “routine transaction”. A senior Pakistani official had said on Friday that the country had decided to return $3.5 billion in debt to the UAE before the end of this month. According to the official, Abu Dhabi had sought the immediate return of the amount. These funds were part of external financing support extended by the UAE in 2019 to help stabilise Pakistan’s balance of payments. In a statement, FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said, “The deposits were placed under bilateral commercial agreements, demonstrating the UAE’s strong support for Pakistan’s economic stability and prosperity.” He said that pursuant to mutually agreed terms, the government, through the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), was now returning the matured deposits to the UAE. “This is a routine financial transaction, and any attempt to portray it otherwise is erroneous and misleadin...