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Pakistan’s nuclear assets in safe custody: FO

Spokesperson says president has nothing to do with nuke programme after passage of the 18th amendment.

Agencies November 29, 2011 1 min read

ISLAMABAD: In response to allegations made by newly-declared Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf member Shah Mahmood Qureshi at his rally in Ghotki, the Foreign Office said on Monday that Pakistan had “effective custodial controls over its nuclear programme” and “well-established institutional mechanisms were responsible for managing the safety of strategic assets”.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tehmina Janjua dismissed the former foreign minister’s statements, saying “The insinuations made against the president … are baseless and strongly refuted.”

She added that after the implementation of the 18th amendment, the president has “nothing to do with [the nuclear] programme and the National Command Authority (NCA), under chairmanship of the prime minister, takes all relevant decisions”.

Janjua also said that the NCA meets frequently to review all matters pertaining to strategic programmes and provide direction for the upgrading of Pakistan’s strategic programme to suit the country’s defence requirements.

“Our policy of maintaining credible minimum deterrence will be maintained. Under no circumstances can this national programme‚ which is integral to Pakistan’s defence‚ be compromised,” she said.

The foreign office response followed Qureshi’s comments at a massive rally in Ghotki yesterday, attended by around 40,000 people, where the former Pakistan Peoples Party heavyweight said “today I am going to tell you a most important thing, so listen to me very carefully: Pakistan’s nuclear assets are not safe in the presence of President Zardari” .

The National Command Authority (NCA) consists of the ministers of defence, foreign affairs, interior and finance as well as the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee and the three services chiefs. After the passage of the 18th amendment, the authority is headed by the prime minister.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2011.