To quell the speculations that arose after Finance Czar Ishaq Dar expressed his stance on the country’s missile program and pledged to not make any concessions on the atomic arsenal amid cash crunch, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) denied speculations regarding imposing any conditions related to Pakistan’s nuclear assets for the staff level agreement.
Esther Perez Ruiz, the international money lender’s representative for Pakistan, said in a statement that there is no truth in the speculations related to Pakistan’s nuclear program and added that negotiations with Pakistan are only on economic policy.
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She further asserted that the topic of Pakistan’s nuclear program was not a part of the conversation between the Pak-IMF talks.
She stated that discussions with Pakistan are intended to address economic issues and the balance of payments, while the primary objective of the IMF-Pakistan negotiations is to bring about macroeconomic and financial stability.
On March 16, during the Senate session, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader and senator Raza Rabbani raised some questions on the reasons behind the delay in the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which would offer a critical lifeline to tame a balance-of-payments crisis.
Rabbani rebuked the incumbent government saying the Senate had “neither before nor today been taken into confidence on what are the conditionalities of the IMF”. He added, “The question arises if the delay is being made because of some sort of pressure to be exerted on Pakistan’s nuclear program.”
Responding to him, the finance wizard said, “Let me assure you that […] nobody is going to compromise anything on the nuclear or the missile program of Pakistan — no way.”
US expresses satisfaction over nuclear program
The United States Central Command, or Centcom, has commended the Pakistan Army leadership as well as the country’s nuclear program.
In a meeting of the US Senate Armed Services Committee a few days earlier, US Centcom Commander General Michael E. Kurilla was questioned about Pakistan’s nuclear program and its stability.
In response, the general spoke about his longstanding and close military relationship with Pakistan and army chief Gen Asim Munir.
