USA imposed sanctions on 19 Pakistani firms, NA told
FM Dar says reasons for ‘prejudicial steps’ by USA are political
Foreign Minister (FM) Ishaq Dar said on Thursday that the USA had imposed sanctions on 19 Pakistani companies, reported 24NewsHD TV channels.
In a report submitted to the National Assembly (NA), Dar said that the allegation against these companies was that they were connected to Pakistan’s strategic programme. “Pakistan has always denied that these companies have anything to do with its strategic programme,” he said, adding, “Such accusations are not new as they were levelled in the past as well.”
The minister further said that such sanctions obstructed these companies' access to technology. “The reasons for such prejudicial steps taken by the USA are political,” he opined.
In all, he went on to say, the USA imposed sanctions on 80 companies of different companies, which besides Pakistan included China, UAE and South Africa.
Reporter: Rozeena Ali