ISLAMABAD – Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has emphatically statedthat there is no threat to the country’s nuclear programme andmulti-billion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
Winding up discussion on an adjournment motion in the Senate today, he saidthere was national consensus on both the nuclear programme and the CPEC andit will stay intact.
The foreign minister also dispelled the impression that the country isheading towards One Unit or a Presidential system is being brought in thecountry.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that announcing National Finance Awards everyfive years is a constitutional responsibility and present government willfulfill it. He, however, regretted that the previous government of PML-Nfailed to fulfill this constitutional requirement in its five year tenure.He said the president constituted the 9th NFC award but despite repeatedrequests by the former Finance Minister Asad Umer, the provincialgovernments especially delayed the process of nominating itsrepresentatives for the NFC award.
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The Foreign Minister said the present government is seeking an IMF packagebecause of the damage inflicted to the economy over the last ten years. Hesaid that our friendly countries including Saudi Arabia, China and theUnited Arab Emirates gave the much needed balance of payment support butthe gap is so huge that we have to go to the IMF to secure economicpackage. He, however, reminded the opposition parties that theirgovernments in the past also approached the International lender for thebailout package.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi strongly rejected the opposition’s criticism on theappointment of Reza Baqir as the Governor of State Bank of Pakistan. Hesaid Reza Baqir is the son of Pakistan and he has offered his services forthe country while leaving a better remuneration package at the IMF.
