Archives

ISLAMABAD, Tuesday (AFP) President Pervez Musharraf has said Pakistan would never proliferate nuclear technology and had a strong control of its strategic assets to prevent them from falling into wrong hands.

"Pakistan will never proliferate," Musharraf told a meeting of scientists Monday at a summer resort 60 kilometers (40 miles) north of Islamabad.

"Pakistan's nuclear potential is under very strong custodial control and we have very strong safeguards to prevent its proliferation and its assets going into wrong hands," he said.

News reports in the United States last year quoted unidentified intelligence officials as saying Pakistan swapped nuclear know-how for missile technology from North Korea, a fierce US foe. But American officials have recently said they were satisfied that no such transfers were currently taking place, with the Washington administration locked in a nuclear showdown with Pyongyang.

Musharraf called for a peaceful resolution of all disputes between Pakistan and India including the key dispute over the Himalayan state of Kashmir for the sake of establishment of peace in South Asia.

"In its ultimate context, peace in this South Asian region will be through resolution of all political disputes including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute," he said.

Nuclear rivals Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars since 1947 over Kashmir, split between the two and claimed by both.

www.crescat.com

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries

Produced by Lake House
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager