Pak army terms fears about nukes 'nonsense'

Pakistan Army has insisted that the country's nuclear weapons are safe and that fears about their falling into the hands of Islamic extremists are totally 'unfounded and nonsense.'

"Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is very secure... And our security measures are one of the best in the world. All these fears are basically unfounded and nonsense, of course, about nuclear weapons falling into Islamic radicals. There is nothing like that," army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said.

"We very well understand how to keep our nuclear weapons secure, how to look after them. We are a very responsible people, with a responsible institution and a responsible country," he told CNN's late night edition blaming 'militias and vested interests' for such reports.

The top military official said the killing of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was an act of terrorism but claimed that 'the basic problem of Taliban is in Afghanistan, not in Pakistan' and Islamabad would ultimately eliminate the local militants.

"Basically, it was an act of terrorism. They targeted one of the major political leaders in the country... I think the spokesperson for the ministry very clearly said that it is Al Qaeda and these people, Baitullah Mehsud, who was behind this act of terrorism, which killed Minister Benazir Bhutto," Arshad said.

"We have segments of local militants in our area, or local extremists, and are dealing with them quite effectively and are very confident that we are going to deal with them and eliminate them, ultimately, from our place," the Pakistani military official said.

His comments came as former Democratic lawmaker, who is an expert on nuclear weapons, said that the US will have to remain in 'close touch' with the Pakistani Army to ensure that its nuclear weapons are secure.

"Any time you have a nuclear-armed nation, particularly one sitting next to another nuclear-armed nation who has been a bitter enemy for years, with great deal of instability bordering on chaos, it is certainly a big problem," former Democratic Senator Sam Nunn said.

"So, that is our number one concern, and we've got to stay in close touch with the army in this regard because they are the ones that have to secure the weapons," he said.

His former colleague in the United States Senate and later Defence Secretary in the Clinton administration Richard Cohen said the chaotic situation in Pakistan had led to concerns over its nuclear arsenal.

"I hope it is 100 per cent secure… it is always an area of concern whenever you have any country that has nuclear weapons, and you have the kind of chaotic situation you have now in Pakistan. So, we hope that the army has it fully under control. They have maintained it to date, and we would hope that would continue," Cohen said on the same Sunday Talk Show.

Cohen said the US should demand greater accountability from Pakistan while maintaining the current level of assistance to fight terrorism.

"I think the level of support should continue, but we ought to insist upon accountability. We want the military to use this equipment and aid to go to fight the terrorists who are living on the border or coming over from Afghanistan," he said.

Nunn said while the President Pervez Musharraf has a problem of legitimacy, the Bush administration should be neutral in the January 8 elections as favouring any candidate could comprise the individual's standing.

"Our interest is making sure that there is emerging some legitimate government that can bring about stability in that crucial nation," Nunn replied.

"I also think we all would be well-advised to recognize how unpopular the United States is in Pakistan. Anyone we embrace may be in some difficulty, so we need to handle this in a discreet and low-visibility manner as much as possible," he added.