The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced that Saudi Arabia has extended financial assistance to Pakistan amid the Iran war, confirming in a tweet that it has received $2 billion from the Kingdom.
“State Bank of Pakistan has received funds of US$2 billion from the Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the value date of 15April2026,” written on a tweet shared on the official SBP’s X account.
The tweet quickly went viral, with users mocking Pakistan and its central bank, sharing jokes and memes in response to the SBP’s announcement.
One user jokingly asked, “Celebrating loans?!”. Second user said, “This is not a thing to announce proudly.”
Another user commented, “How long will this go on? Shame.”
Fourth user wrote, “Really, a big achievement for Pakistan.”
One more user wrote, “Imagine clapping every time someone else pays your bills. The economy has downgraded, people are struggling. and still the same celebrations on borrowed money.”
Another user, posted, “Even after Islamabad peace talks, Pakistan was claiming that it will become prosperous like Sweden. Then why Pakistan was begging now in front of Saudi Arabia? Anyways congratulations Bhikaristan.”
Other user commented, “Laughable. This poor country of South Asia — Pakistan asking for money from another country to repay the other country. And they took this loan from the UAE in 1996. Imagine.”
Citing sources in the country’s Ministry of Finance, Pakistan-based ARY News reported that the funds are aimed at bolstering Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves.
This development came during a meeting of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Jeddah. where discussions reportedly centred on regional diplomacy, including efforts related to ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake official visits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye from 15-18 April 2026,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said previously in a statement.
The inflow comes at a time when Pakistan is facing mounting pressure to sustain its foreign exchange reserves amid significant debt repayments and ongoing economic uncertainty.
