Islamabad: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that his comments in Senate on Pakistan’s nuclear programme were being “Quoted out aof context”, adding that delay in International Monetary Fund programme was due to “Technical reasons”.

Remarks had come after Senator Raza Rabbani had raised some questions on reasons behind delay in agreement with IMF, which would offer critical lifeline to tame balance-of-payments crisis.

In response, Dar assured that there would be no compromise on Pakistan’s nuclear prowess and promised that moment staff-level agreement and Extended Fund Facility were finalised, it would be placed on website of Finance Ministry.

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

Dar said that an assurance from “Friendly countries” to fund balance of payment gap was last hurdle in securing an IMF deal.

Several countries had made commitments to support Pakistan during previous IMF reviews, he said, adding that IMF was now asking for those commitments.

“At time of previous reviews, several friendly countries had made commitments to bilaterally support Pakistan, what IMF is now asking (is) that they should actually complete and materialise those commitments,” he said, adding: “That’s only delay.”

Published in The Daily National Courier, March, 21 2023

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