Date:13/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/13/stories/2007111368841300.htm

International

N-arms in secure hands: Pakistan

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday dismissed reports in the American media that there was a danger of the country’s nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands as “inspired” and said it had a foolproof mechanism in place to safeguard its strategic assets.

Foreign Office spokesman Mohammed Sadiq also said his country had “adequate retaliatory capacity” to defend its strategic assets and sovereignty in response to a Washington Post report that the U.S. had drawn up contingency plans to secure Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.

“Such reports appear off and on and regardless of their motive, we emphatically reject the connotation that there is any danger of our strategic assets falling in wrong hands. Our strategic assets are as safe as that of any other nuclear weapons state,” the spokesman said, reading out from a statement at the weekly briefing.

“As for the irresponsible conjectures about external contingency plans, suffice it to say that Pakistan possesses adequate retaliatory capacity to defend its strategic assets and sovereignty,” he said.

American newspapers have reported that if President Pervez Musharraf is toppled, Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal could fall into the hands of Islamic radical elements. The reports expressed fears that the safety mechanisms may not be institutionalised enough, resting in the hands of a few officials whose fate and conduct may be uncertain in a post-Musharraf scenario.

Rejecting the fears, the spokesman said Pakistan gave the highest level of institutionalised protection to its strategic assets to ensure their safety and security.

“They are under strong multi-layered, institutionalised decision-making, organisational, administrative and command and control structures since 1998,” he said.

Pakistan instituted an elaborate Nuclear Command and Control mechanism in February 2000, comprising National Command Authority, Strategic Plans Division and Strategic Forces.

He also described as “far-fetched” a reported remark by India’s National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan that Pakistan’s internal turmoil would affect the security of the India-Pakistan border, and may lead to increased infiltration by militants from that country into India.

“I have seen reports, but there is nothing official. But it’s a bit far-fetched. If there is a domestic political situation or activity, how will that destabilise the borders?”