'Without nukes, Pak won't have survived'

Without atomic weapons, Pakistan would have not 'survived' after Kargil war, Parliament attack and Mumbai terror strikes, the country's top nuclear scientist said on Saturday.

Some people, who talk about the high expenses of nuclear programme, do not know the importance of nuclear capability, Dr Samar Mubarakmand, Member Science and Technology, Planning Commission of Pakistan, said.

"Without nuclear power, Pakistan would have not survived after Kargil, Indian Parliament and Mumbai incident episodes," he said, addressing the 4th Convocation of the Institute of Space Technology in Islamabad.

He also said that Pakistan has sufficient skilled work-force to launch its own satellite system and hopefully the country would be able to launch indigenously built Pak-SAT-I in 2011.

Later,

talking to media, Mubarakmand brushed aside the impression of any threat to Pakistan' nuclear assets and said these were fully protected under an effective command and control system.

"Such speculations are totally wrong and baseless. Some elements have been raising such things in the past too, just to pressurise Pakistan in a specific time," he said.

To a question, he said nobody should have any objection if any country helps Pakistan in its nuclear programme for peaceful objectives like promotion of energy, agriculture and health sectors.