Reacting to the sanctions imposed by the United States (US), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has outrightly ruled out the prospects of any compromise on the country’s nuclear programme.
“There is no justification for the sanctions imposed on us [….] There will be no compromise on Pakistan’s nuclear programme,” said the PM while speaking at a federal cabinet meeting on Tuesday in Islamabad.
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The premier’s remarks come as President Joe Biden’s administration, last week, announced imposing additional sanctions related to Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme, targeting four entities that it said were contributing to the proliferation or delivery of such weapons.Play Video
The move warranted a strong reaction from the Foreign Office, which termed the move “biased” and warned that it could have dangerous implications for the strategic stability of the region and beyond.
The sanctions, pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 13382, were later deliberated on US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer who said that Pakistan was developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets outside of South Asia, including the US.
Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Finer remarked that Islamabad’s conduct raised “real questions” about its intentions.
The remarks were once again responded to by the FO which called them “perplexing as well as illogical”.
