No compromise: Pak minister on nuclear programme amid economic crisis

Pakistan finance minister Ishaq Dar said that the country will not compromise on its nuclear and missile programmes, Dawn reported.

His comments in the country’s Senate come as Pakistan faces a severe economic crisis. Ishaq Dar said, “Let me assure you that […] nobody is going to compromise anything on the nuclear or the missile program of Pakistan — no way.”

The finance minister also said that the “moment the staff-level agreement and the EFFP (Extended Fund Facility programme) would be finalised […] it will be put up on the website of the finance ministry”.

“Nobody has any right to tell Pakistan that what range of missiles it can have and what nuclear weapons it can have. We have to have our own deterrence”, he said, adding, “We represent the people of Pakistan […] and we have to guard our national interests.”

Ishaq Dar said the delay was “not on the part of the government… it seems as if the arrangements of 2019 with the IMF has been a different and [a] new program”.

“It looks like that each time, the review is a new program which is very uncustomary with the IMF. It has been an extensive engagement — unusual, too lengthy, too long, too demanding — but we have completed everything,” he added.

The finance minister also said that there will be “no compromise” in the country’s nuclear programme.