'Feel ashamed': Pak PM on going around the world begging for money

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that those who go to seek loans have to “keep their head bowed down,” acknowledging the financial hardships Islamabad has faced in recent times. Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad honouring the country's eminent businessmen and exporters, Sharif said that seeking foreign loans has forced Pakistan to make compromises at the “cost of self-respect”. "How should I tell the way we requested friendly countries for loans? The friendly countries didn't disappoint us. But the one who goes to seek a loan, his head is bowed down,” said Sharif. Sharif's admission of "begging" for loans highlights the country's economic struggles and reliance on international assistance. This comes as Pakistan seeks IMF support and debt rollovers. He also praised "all-weather friend" China, along with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, which have supported Islamabad through both good times and bad, regardless of circumstances.Sharif also raised concerns about rising poverty and unemployment, and lamented the lack of development in R&D and innovation.

We feel ashamed… begging for money, says Shehbaz Sharif, while standing next to Asim Munir.

That one sentence accidentally exposes Pakistan’s reality:

A country run like a hybrid regime where uniforms dominate policy, the economy keeps collapsing, and the leadership’s foreign… pic.twitter.com/Oxn4WfZoYc

— Pakistan Reality Check (@PakRealityCheck) January 31, 2026

Pakistan is facing a severe socioeconomic crisis with poverty rates estimated to have risen towards 45% of the population, exacerbated by inflation and floods. Unemployment has climbed to around 7.1%, with over eight million citizens jobless, while exports remain heavily reliant on textiles and commodities.Recent estimates suggest up to 45% of Pakistan's population lives below the poverty line, up from 21.9% in 2018. Extreme poverty has jumped from 4.9% to 16.5%, driven by 2022 floods, inflation, and macroeconomic instability.
Pakistan is currently facing a severe debt crisis, with total public debt exceeding Rs 76,000 billion as of March 2025, nearly doubling in just four years. The nation relies heavily on IMF bailouts and loans from China-particularly for China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects--to manage debt servicing and avoid default. Pak PM's admission confirms a structural fragility that has moved beyond mere economic cycles into what many call a permanent state of crisis.