Pakistan has no intention of joining arms race: President Alvi

Pakistan's nuclear programme is fully compliant with IAEA, says president

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's nuclear programme is fully compliant with the rules and regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the country has no intention of joining any arms race, President Arif Alvi said on Monday.

Addressing an international conference titled "Global Non-Proliferation Regime: Challenges and Response" organised by the Strategic Studies Institute in Islamabad, Alvi said that Pakistan's nuclear deterrent is only meant to maintain a strategic balance in the region.

The president warned that the current global security landscape was not very encouraging and instead of meaningful efforts towards global disarmament, a nuclear arms race had begun.

“The international security landscape is far from encouraging. The euphoria generated by the end of the Cold War and the committed expectations of meaningful steps towards global disarmament have given way to a qualitative nuclear arms race,” he said.

The president emphasised that threats to international peace and security can only be dealt with through collective efforts and Pakistan is ready to cooperate with global actors. Alvi added that the United Nations is a suitable platform to resolve international conflicts, but at the same time, he stressed the need for uniform implementation of its resolutions.

The president further said new technologies such as cyber threats and drones attacks “lower the threshold for war and put machines at the helm of the decisions of life and death” and called for globally binding frameworks to regularise the use of emerging technologies.

Stressing the need for international efforts for a nuclear-free world, Alvi praised Iran for its commitment to the 2015 nuclear deal with the west and also hailed developments towards denuclearisation in the Korean peninsula.

“We should be progressing toward a nuclear-free world. But unless all countries come to some understanding and reduce the area of conflicts…and unless conflicts are resolved and unless we reduce are postures, reduce our weapons, the world will not see peace,” he concluded.