RAWALPINDI:
The country's top military leadership has reposed 'full confidence' in Pakistan's 'robust' nuclear command and control structure and the security of its strategic nuclear arms, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday.
The statement of confidence by the military brass comes days after US President Joe Biden kicked up a storm by claiming that "Pakistan was the most dangerous country in the world" due to lack of "cohesion and nukes".
“I am surprised at President Biden’s statement,” Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had reacted at a news conference in Karachi while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dismissed concerns over Pakistan’s nuclear programme.
During the 252nd Corps Commanders Conference presided by Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the forum was informed that Pakistan, as a responsible nuclear state, had 'taken all measures' to strengthen its nuclear security regime' which is at par with international best practices.
According to the ISPR, the participants also took a comprehensive review of the prevailing internal and external security situation and operational preparedness of the army.
While expressing satisfaction over the operational preparedness of the formations, General Bajwa reiterated the army’s resolve to "defend the motherland against all threats".
Read Biden’s nuclear remarks spark outrage in Pakistan
The conference attendees were also apprised of the army’s assistance to the civil administration for relief and rehabilitation efforts in flood-affected areas of the country as well as the post-flood situation, particularly in Sindh and Balochistan.
The army chief lauded the formations’ operational readiness and sustained efforts during flood relief duties, added the military's media wing.
US 'confident' of Pakistan's ability to secure nukes
The United States said on Monday that it had confidence in Pakistan's ability to secure its nuclear arsenal after President Joe Biden expressed alarm, leading Islamabad to summon the US ambassador.
"The United States is confident of Pakistan's commitment and its ability to secure its nuclear assets," State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.
"The US has always viewed a secure and prosperous Pakistan as critical to US interests and, more broadly, the US values our long-standing cooperation with Pakistan," he said.
Meanwhile, Islamabad and Washington have been working quietly to make sure recent efforts seeking a reset in the relationship remain on track.
Official sources confirmed to The Express Tribune on Monday that the US conveyed to Pakistan that President Biden’s statement did not mean any new demand or policy shift in Washington’s approach.
Although Pakistan rejected Biden’s statement and summoned the US ambassador to record a formal protest, both countries are keen to move on from the controversy.
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