Pakistan will not accept limits on tactical nuclear weapons

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to tell US President Barack Obama that he will not accept limits on its use of small tactical nuclear weapons, Pakistani officials told Reuters Wednesday.


The Obama administration was reported to be considering a deal with Pakistan that would limit the scope of the country's nuclear arsenal, as they are concerned that Pakistan, which has the world's fastest growing nuclear program, might deploy a small tactical nuclear weapon that the United States would be unable to stop from falling into the hands of militants or terror groups.

According to The New York Times, the US was exploring a deal to limit the country's arsenal that might involve the relaxation of strict controls that the Nuclear Supplier Group has placed on Pakistan. The Nuclear Suppliers Group is a group of countries that tries to control the proliferation of weapons through guidelines for nuclear exports and nuclear-related exports.

On Tuesday Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said that Pakistan was reacting to threats made by India that they would carry out a limited, blitz raid with their army in case of militant attack, an idea known as the "Cold Start" doctrine.

"In India, they brought the Cold Start doctrine," he said. "So we have also preserved our deterrence capability."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it was he "would not be overly excited about the prospects of reaching the kind of agreement that is being speculated about publicly."

"A deal like the one that’s been discussed publicly is not something that’s likely to come to fruition next week,” he said. “But the United States and Pakistan are regularly engaged in a dialogue about the importance of nuclear security. And I would anticipate that that dialogue would include conversations between the leaders of our two countries."

The Pakistani government was "well aware of the range of potential threats to its nuclear arsenal" and that "Pakistan has a professional and dedicated security force that understands the importance and the high priority that the world places on nuclear security," added Earnest.

"Pakistan’s nuclear program is ... India-centric. And it exists to make war a non-option ... Tactical nuclear weapons block off this room (for war) completely," said one Pakistani security official. "No one can dictate what kind of weapons we will make or use."

State Department spokesman John Kirby encouraged India and Pakistan to begin direct talks in order to reduce tensions.

"The normalization of relations between Pakistan and India is vital to both countries and to the region."
Sharif and Obama are due to meet Thursday at the White House. 
   i24news.tv
22/10/15
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