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Manmohan remarks unfortunate: Pakistan

B. Muralidhar Reddy

Nuclear programme, assets are secure

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday dubbed remarks by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the security of Pakistan's nuclear programme and strategic assets as "unfortunate" and said they created a "misleading impression."

"Pakistan's nuclear capability is defensive and based on minimum credible deterrence. Pakistan's nuclear programme and strategic assets are secure, under strict and multi-layered custodial controls," the Foreign Office spokesman said in a statement.

An elaborate command and control mechanism, institutionalised in the shape of the National Command Authority had been in place since 2000. "We have studied the models of command and control systems elsewhere, and our multi-layered security structures are at par with the most stringent international systems and practices."

Fighting terrorism

The statement said the issue of terrorism, a global phenomenon, should not be used to malign Pakistan, which is in the forefront of the international fight against terrorism. "International terrorism has affected many countries and has historical background and root cause in disputes and deprivation."

The spokesman said the "reality" is that Pakistan had done more than most countries to fight terrorism and had more successes in capturing and eliminating elements of the Al-Qaeda than all other countries combined.

"Pakistan has paid a high price but our determination to eliminate terrorism and extremism remains firm and strong." Pakistan, he said, is in the business of combating terrorism, and not creating the conditions in which terrorism thrives, as is the position elsewhere "in our neighbourhood."

Regarding non-proliferation, Pakistan is committed to the global WMD non-proliferation regime, and has lived up to its commitments in this regard, he said.

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