Pakistan Refuses to Curb Nuclear Activity Until India Does Too
“Pakistan’s nuclear programme can’t be limited,” Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi said.
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Fearing an attack from India after the Uri attack, Pakistan is preparing its nuclear arsenal, reports The Times of India. The activity, however, has attracted the attention of aid countries like the US and Japan.
US State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said that Kerry “reiterated the need for Pakistan to prevent all terrorists from using Pakistani territory as safe havens” while stressing the need for restraint in nuclear weapons programs during a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The exchange came in the light of the terrorist attack on the Indian Army base in Uri which claimed lives of 18 soldiers and 4 attackers. Following the attack, two US Congressmen moved legislation to declare Pakistan a terror state.
Curb Indian Nuclear Activity First, Says Pakistan
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi, addressing a joint press conference with Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, said US Secretary of State John Kerry had urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to limit Pakistan’s atomic programme.
However, Lodhi said it had been conveyed to the US Secretary of State that the proposals which were expected from Pakistan should also be implemented by India.
“Pakistan’s nuclear programme cannot be limited,” Lodhi said.
“The world should first put an end to nuclear activities undertaken by India,” she was quoted as saying by Pakistani media.
Furthermore, Lodhi said, “Pakistan’s inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers Group was discussed during the meeting,” during Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz’s meetings with the foreign ministers of Austria, Switzerland and Japan.
(With inputs from The Times of India and IANS)
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