Air/Smog Pump

The air/smog pump on my xj12 has been disconnected. It is my understanding that the a/c won't work if this pump is inoperative. I wanted to confirm this, as now that it looks like I have to replace the belts, I was thinking of going all in and replacing the compressor while I was at it. I haven't been able to locate the pump, so I'm hoping that I can carry on getting the a/c up and running without it.