ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan sought a firm guarantee from the US that its nuclear arsenal is secure during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Islamabad last month, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Officials familiar with Clinton’s meetings with Pakistan’s top civilian and military leaders said that concerns about the safety of the country’s nuclear stockpile was part of discussions at all levels. “They [the Americans] expressed their point of view and we presented ours … what we asked for was that there shouldn’t be any aggression or doubts about our nuclear programme,” one of the officials said.
Though it isn’t known how the US responded to Pakistan’s concerns, officials said Islamabad made it clear to Clinton that its cooperation with Washington in the war on terror, especially to ‘convince’ the Afghan Taliban to join peace talks, was linked to its nuclear demand.
There have always been concerns about the possibility of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into the hands of extremists but Islamabad rejects these fears, saying it has foolproof security and safety mechanisms in place.
Officials said the issue came up during the meeting of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Clinton. The prime minister’s press secretary Akram Shaheedi, however, said the issue wasn’t discussed. “Not at all,” was his terse answer when approached to confirm or deny this. A foreign office spokeswoman refused to offer any comment as well.
But the official insisted that the safety of the nuclear programme was one of the major conditions of Islamabad’s future cooperation with the US. In return, the official added, Pakistan had agreed to ‘neutralise’ the Haqqani network to the extent that it agrees to open negotiations with the US.
The question of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons has been at the forefront recently after an article in US magazine The Atlantic raised fears about the way the weapons are transported and claimed that the US had prepared missions to secure the weapons. The article was dismissed by the foreign ministry as “pure fiction”.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2011.
COMMENTS (22)
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@Sam: "Why US is so much concerned about safety of Pakistani nukes and why Pakistan is seeking assurances from US about safety of its nuclear programme. the whole story smell fishy.nothing is clear to public. they are using code words. we don’t know whats going on behind the scence."
The US and the rest of the world is concerned about Pak nukes for the reason that it is very possible that the Istlamist radicals can come to power in Pakistan and threaten the world. Also, Pakistan's history is very bad with nuke proliferation. The latest information is that Pakistan may have already transferred some nukes to Saudi Arabia.
I think Pakistan is seeking US assistance to secure nukes in the likely case of Islamist/Taliban take over of Pakistan.
The whole story smells fishy, to use your language, because of Pakistani establishment's past murky nuke proliferation deals and lack of civilian control of nukes.
These days developing a nuclear bomb is not a scientific miracle and being a nuclear power does not demand respect and deliver prosperity. Does Brazil and South Korea have nuclear weapons. What is the value of those countries when compared to Pakistan and North Korea.
Pakistanis should stop being proud of their nuclear weapons.
Dumbest headline of the century.
Corrected title: Pakistan asks the US for assurance that they can keep their toys. They were "told" nothing.
Great. Now we have explicitly told US to stay away from our Nukes. Now the US will explicitly take them away.
@ur reality is ........: @Vigilant: Well, the comments were made on the lighter vein which appeared to have been taken seriously. However, what is confounding is the huge number of nukes held in the kitty estimated by US close to 120, which cannot be used against any country except kept as a deterent. Billions of dollars spent on these useless toys is surely a wasteful expenditure which could have been used for better purposes of improving power, education, infrastructures etc in Pakistan. Regards and best wishes. R S Johar, India.
It might not be a bad idea to exchange a nuke for a Nuclear Power Plant. Pakistan has over a 100 nukes that costs nearly $1000,000,000 a year to safeguard and maintain. Instead Pakistan can have empty nuclear bomb shells with nuclear signs printed on them. That way it will only need a painter to maintain them. If you like my idea please hit the "Recommend" button.
@zalim singh: If the rules are followed, it would be the foreign minister of Pakistan to meet Hilary Clinton, not the PM of Pakistan (IK).
Headline is a bit misleading. It seems to be imply that US wants her 'hands on' Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, which is not the case. US merely has some reservation that were perhaps raised during the recent high level meetings.
@ur reality is ........:
U seem to have the right sense here
@Yuri Kondratyuk: Yes my dear US is a very in-secured nation...thats why it is war mongering to terrorize others.
@ To US firstly, why is it so hard for you to digest that Pakistan is nuclear power?
We know that its you americans who are the biggest danger to Pakistani nukes than those cavemen. If you cannot be able to determine the locations of Pakistani nukes, then how do you suppose even in your dream that the militants could get their hands on it. All these years of you being the nuclear power, you should know that these nukes comes with very encrypted security codes to launch it which only the higher military command or president has it.
anyway, the only reason you want to de-nuclearize Pakistan because we are a threat to Israel. there is no other reasonable reason.
If you are thinking of May 2 like action, it will definitely not go down the way you want it.
@R S JOHAR u sound funny
Man! US of A must be shaking in its boots.
After JF-17 put on sale, US is clearly worried that next in line would be the nuclear toys with Iran being the prospective buyer.
The greatest threat to Pak's nuclear program is the US not the extremists.
they really should not worry about our Nuclear Program because we did not make it to hand over to some one or let any one to steal....
Why US is so much concerned about safety of Pakistani nukes and why Pakistan is seeking assurances from US about safety of its nuclear programme. the whole story smell fishy.nothing is clear to public. they are using code words. we don't know whats going on behind the scence.
I cant wait to see Imran with Hillary. Great looking pair they will make.