The Lahore High Court (LHC) has dismissed a civil review petition that contested Pakistan's loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), stating that the issue lies strictly between the federal government and the international lending institution. Justice Asim Hafeez delivered the verdict on a review petition submitted by Advocate Talib Hussain Maken.
Court's Observations
In its judgment, the court observed that the IMF loan arrangement is a matter involving the Government of Pakistan and the IMF, and it does not impose a direct legal obligation on individual citizens. The ruling emphasized that there was no evidence indicating that the IMF had sought repayment of the loan from the petitioner or any Pakistani citizen personally.
Previous Rulings Upheld
The court further noted that the petition had already been dismissed by lower courts, and a subsequent appeal against those decisions had also failed. The petitioner had relied on claims circulating on social media, which suggested that every Pakistani citizen had become indebted due to state loans and was therefore individually responsible for repayment. The petitioner argued that since citizens had not personally taken any loans from the IMF, they could not be held liable for repaying the debt.
Petition Deemed Non-Maintainable
However, the court found no valid or convincing grounds to overturn the consistent rulings of the lower courts. The judgment stated that the petition was legally non-maintainable because the petitioner had no direct legal connection to the matter. The court concluded that there was no illegality or legal defect requiring review proceedings and dismissed the petition.
