The Finance Minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar, unusual statement regarding the range of Pakistan’s missiles has raised some eyebrows.
He said that nobody has the right to tell Pakistan what range of missiles it can have and that the decision regarding this will be made by itself.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) was also slammed by the Finance Minister for their attitude towards Pakistan.
Dar’s statement has come at a crucial time as the South Asian country is trying to improve its relationship with China. The Chinese government recently helped them by refinancing two commercial loans.
The minister reiterated that nobody can make any demands about the type of nuclear weapons or missiles Pakistan can have, adding that “we have to have our own deterrence.”
This is the first time that the minister has talked about the the range of nuclear missiles on national television.
Shaheen-III is currently Pakistan’s most long range missile which can travel up to 2,750 kilometers and cover the whole of India as well as parts of the Middle East.
PM Office’s Clarification
Following Ishaq Dar’s statement, the Prime Minister office also had to issue a statement of its own, saying that Pakistan’s nuclear and missile program is important to the country and is totally secure.
Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar’s Tweet
Former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar in a tweet said that Dar’s insinuations are dangerous. He added that no such demands were made from Miftah when he put the IMF programme back on track or the previous government when they went to the IMF.
Khokhar also called out Ishaq Dar. “Lengths politicians would go to cover up for their incompetence,” he concluded his tweet.
Dar’s insinuations r dangerous. Smells like another cipher story in the making. No such demands were made 4m Miftah when he put the IMF program back on track or 4m previous govt’s when they went to the IMF. Lengths politicians would go to cover up for their incompetence! https://t.co/45EgeEsCLx
— Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar (@mustafa_nawazk) March 17, 2023