Pakistan’s missile program on agenda for Trump’s foreign minister, says Grenell

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump’s special envoy nominee Richard Grenell said in an interview that Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State Marco Rubio is ready to discuss Pakistan’s missile program.

Speaking to a US digital platform, Grenell stressed that nuclear-capable countries are dealt with differently. He highlighted that Rubio is ready to deal with Pakistan’s missile program. He further criticized the Biden administration, claiming that it has failed to do in four years what it has been trying to achieve in the last 45 days.

The statement comes after recent US sanctions against four Pakistani entities allegedly involved in advancing Pakistan’s ballistic missile program. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller accused the entities – the National Development Complex in Islamabad and three Karachi-based firms (Akhtar & Sons, Affiliates International, and Rockside Enterprises) – of collaborating with the program.

US Deputy National Security Advisor John Finer had earlier said that Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons, is developing long-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets outside the US, including South Asia.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office, reacting to the sanctions, described the US decision as biased and said that Pakistan’s strategic capabilities are aimed at maintaining peace and stability in South Asia.

Grenell also commented on the Trump administration’s past relationship with the then Pakistani leader, describing him as excellent. He drew parallels between the former Pakistani leader’s political outsider status and Trump’s, emphasizing their shared rational approach.

Grenell expressed his desire to see the former Pakistani prime minister released from prison, citing similarities in the charges previously leveled against him and Trump. He suggested that State Department spokesman Matthew Miller had obscured the real issue, which was the release of the former Pakistani prime minister.