PM receives red carpet welcome on US visit
PM Nawaz maintains no compromise on Pakistan's nuclear assets is possible
NEW YORK (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in the United States (US) on Tuesday where he will meet US president Barack Obama and vice president Joe Biden among other leaders, Dunya News reported. PM Nawaz recieved a spectacular red carpet welcome upon his arrival.
PM Nawaz will meet Pakistani community in the US and US Secretary of State John Kerry today. The meeting with the president Obama among other key meetings is scheduled to take place on Thursday. He will also take part in a business forum led by Pak-US Business Council.
The PM will meet US Secretary of State, Finance Minister Jack Lew and International Monteray Fund s (IMF) Managing Director (MD) on Wednesday. Meeting with US Senate Foreign Committee will also take place in the same schedule.
PM Nawaz will meet Vice President Biden on Thursday 22nd of October at the breakfast table. The PM will then have an important meeting with the US President on the same day at 11:00 AM in the White House. PM Nawaz s schedule then includes a meeting with US Senate Arm s Service Committee s Chairman Senator McCain and finally will join the US Minister for Defense for dinner. Lastly, PM Nawaz will meet US correspondents and senior editors at breakfast time on the final day of his visit.
According to details, PM Nawaz was welcomed by officials from the Pakistani High Commission in the US including Pakistan’s permanent representative in United Nations Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani along with spouse, and officials from the US state department.
Accompanying PM Nawaz were the first lady Mrs Kulsoom Nawaz, Prime Minister’s daughter Maryam Nawaz, Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar among others.
Talking to the media in London before leaving for New York, PM Nawaz said that no compromise on Pakistan’s nuclear assets is possible. He said that national interest of the country is the top priority of the government.
Talking to media in London before leaving for United States (US), PM Nawaz said that his visit will improve the relations between the two countries. Answering a question on this occasion, PM said that he was the Prime Minister of Pakistan at the time of nuclear explosions in 1999. “Who was the PM in 1999 at the time of nuclear explosions? Pakistan’s national interest is our top priority”, said Nawaz. He added that no compromise on Pakistan’s policy about nuclear assets is possible.
Nawaz Sharif said that the interests of Pakistan will be looked after during his US visit. He told that solid evidence of Indian intelligence agency RAW’s interference in Pakistan has been provided to the United Nations (UN).
Answering a question over Pakistani politics, Nawaz said that crying rigging after every election defeat is a proof of political immaturity. “There must be some stance that PTI remains firm at. Now they are raising the voter lists’ issue”, he said. He added that the government had set up the judicial commission and held the election as well but didn’t demand a stay order from the court. He said that PTI should learn some lesson from a crushing defeat in Okara. “Politicians should act like mature people”, he said.
PM said that there is no pressure on the government about China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and work is in progress on various projects. He said that load shedding will be over by 2018.
Yesterday, Foreign Advisor Sartaj Aziz had also said that US should try to avoid becoming a reason of disparity in the region. In an interview with British news channel, Sartaj Aziz said that the national interest and security of Pakistan will never be compromised.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani made it clear that there’s no ‘do more’ policy in place for Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, adding that Pakistan’s nuclear programme is for defensive purpose only.
The Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry has also rejected any the likelihood of any compromises on nuclear programme as part of any dea with the US.
As per the British media, Chaudhry said in his briefing in Washington that Pakistan has prepared tactical nukes to deal with India’s ‘cold start’ strategy.
