Pak nukes not safe, says Qureshi; govt rejects contention
Pak's nuclear weapons are not safe under the present PPP dispensation, country's former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said.
By PTI | Updated:
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's nuclear weapons are not safe under the present PPP dispensation, country's former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said, evoking an angry response from the government, which rejected his contention as "baseless".
Qureshi said, Pakistan's nuclear programme was not safe under President Asif Ali Zardari's leadership. The ex-PPP leader has recently parted company with the ruling party and announced joining Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party.
The former Zardari ally, made these remarks at a public rally at Ghotki in Sindh where he announced joining hands with the cricketer-turned politician. He is the highest ranking Pakistani politician to comment that the country's nuclear weapons were not safe.
His remarks come on the heels of warnings by Western experts that Islamabad's nukes could fall into the hands of Taliban terrorists.
Though Qureshi did not give details of how Pakistan's nukes were in danger but promised to talk about this in detail at the next public gathering in Karachi.
He said, he had been foreign minister and thus understood the issue well and knew the pressures and stresses Pakistan was facing over its nuclear programme. He also came down hard on the government's alliance with the US as well as US policies towards Pakistan.
Reacting angrily to Qureshi's remarks, the Pakistan government rejected his contentions as it declared there would be no compromise on a programme which is an integral to the country's defence.
Qureshi said, Pakistan's nuclear programme was not safe under President Asif Ali Zardari's leadership. The ex-PPP leader has recently parted company with the ruling party and announced joining Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party.
The former Zardari ally, made these remarks at a public rally at Ghotki in Sindh where he announced joining hands with the cricketer-turned politician. He is the highest ranking Pakistani politician to comment that the country's nuclear weapons were not safe.
His remarks come on the heels of warnings by Western experts that Islamabad's nukes could fall into the hands of Taliban terrorists.
Though Qureshi did not give details of how Pakistan's nukes were in danger but promised to talk about this in detail at the next public gathering in Karachi.
He said, he had been foreign minister and thus understood the issue well and knew the pressures and stresses Pakistan was facing over its nuclear programme. He also came down hard on the government's alliance with the US as well as US policies towards Pakistan.
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Reacting angrily to Qureshi's remarks, the Pakistan government rejected his contentions as it declared there would be no compromise on a programme which is an integral to the country's defence.
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