RAWALAPINDI: The Pakistan Army’s Corps Commanders on Tuesday expressed ‘full confidence’ in the country’s robust nuclear command and control system and security of its strategic nuclear arms, saying Islamabad has taken all steps necessary to buttress its nuclear atomic regime, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday.
According to ISPR statement issued on Tuesday, this was the outcome of the 252nd Corps Commanders’ Conference which was held at General Headquarters (GHQ) with Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa in the chair.
The statement of confidence by the military top brass comes days after US President Joe Biden kicked up a storm by claiming that “Pakistan was the most dangerous country in the world” due to lack of “cohesion and nukes”.
“I am surprised at President Biden’s statement,” Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had reacted at a news conference in Karachi while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dismissed concerns over Pakistan’s nuclear programme as “factually incorrect”
During the 252nd Corps Commanders Conference presided over by COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the forum was informed that Pakistan, as a responsible nuclear state, had ‘taken all measures’ to strengthen its nuclear security regime’ which is at par with international best practices.
The ISPR statement said the participants took a comprehensive review of the prevailing internal and external security situation and operational preparedness of the Armed Forces.
The conference attendees were also apprised of the army’s assistance to the civil administration for relief and rehabilitation efforts in flood-affected areas of the country as well as the post-flood situation, particularly in Sindh and Balochistan.
While expressing satisfaction over operational preparedness of the formations, the COAS reiterated Pakistan Army’s resolve to defend the motherland against all threats.
The forum reposed full confidence in Pakistan’s robust nuclear command and control structure and security arrangements related to country’s strategic assets.
As a responsible nuclear weapon state, Pakistan has taken all measures necessary to strengthen its nuclear security regime, at par with international best practices, the forum was informed.
The army chief lauded the formations’ operational readiness and sustained efforts during flood relief duties, added the military’s media wing.
The reassurance about the nuclear safety system came after US President Joe Biden remarks about Pakistan’s atomic weapons.
US ‘confident’ of Pakistan’s ability to secure nukes
The United States said on Monday that it had confidence in Pakistan’s ability to secure its nuclear arsenal after President Joe Biden expressed alarm, leading Islamabad to summon the US ambassador.
“The United States is confident of Pakistan’s commitment and its ability to secure its nuclear assets,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters.
“The US has always viewed a secure and prosperous Pakistan as critical to US interests and, more broadly, the US values our long-standing cooperation with Pakistan,” he said.
Meanwhile, Islamabad and Washington have been working quietly to make sure recent efforts seeking a reset in the relationship remain on track.
According to reports, the US conveyed to Pakistan that President Biden’s statement did not mean any new demand or policy shift in Washington’s approach.
Although Pakistan rejected Biden’s statement and summoned the US ambassador to record a formal protest, both countries are keen to move on from the controversy.
