A Means To Quick Cash? Pakistan To Sell Artillery Shells To Ukraine As IMF Bailout Remains Out Of Reach

Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) will export three consignments of 155 mm artillery shells to Ukraine in an effort to aid the Ukrainian war effort against Russia.

These three consignments will be shipped to Ukraine in the next three months from the Pakistani port of Karachi to Gdansk port in Poland. From there on, the weapons will be shipped to Ternopil oblast in Ukraine, by roads.

This report of Pakistan shipping weapons is coming on the back of an another report stating that, Pakistan has already shipped 122 mm Yarmuk rockets worth $300 million to Ukraine last year. This consignment was also shipped using the same Karachi to Gdansk route.

According to a report, the shipments will be exported via the MV SLNC Magothy, MV Maj Richard Winters and MV Ocean Freedom. Moreover, the Pakistani's also plan to ship more than 230 containers of weapons to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian's, on the other hand, signed an agreement to supply the Pakistani's, engines and spares of the Mi-17 helicopters, worth $1.5 million.

However, the agreement to provide spare parts to Pakistan comes as a surprise, given that Ukraine is currently engaged in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and is itself experiencing a shortage of arms, ammunition, and spare parts and has been requesting several NATO countries for weapons supplies.

It is worth noting that Ukraine was Pakistan's traditional supplier of weapons since the breakup of the Soviet Union. According to reports, Ukraine has supplied weapons worth $1.6 billion to Pakistan since the 1990s. This includes the 320 T-80UD tanks supplied to Pakistan in 1996.

Last year as well, the UK had airlifted supplies, arms and ammunition from Nur Khan Air Base Rawalpindi, Pakistan to a Romanian Air Base Avram Iancu Cluj for Ukraine.

The decision to supply weapons to Ukraine appears to be a strategic move by Pakistan to garner support from western countries, particularly the United States. This is anticipated to facilitate Pakistan's acquisition of an IMF bailout package, which would provide necessary economic assistance to a nation facing numerous economic challenges.

The Americans has already helped Pakistan to come out from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.

In conclusion, Pakistan's decision to export weapons to Ukraine highlights its efforts to strengthen ties with western countries, particularly the United States.

However, it also raises concerns about the possibility of these weapons falling into the wrong hands and exacerbating the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. It remains to be seen how this decision will impact Pakistan's relationship with Russia and the wider geopolitical landscape in the region.