Civilian-military command and control structure safeguards Pak nukes: Kaira - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Allaying international concerns over the safety of country's nuclear assets, Pakistan Information and Broadcasting Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has assured that the country's nuke installations were under foolproof protection of a strong civilian-military command and control structure. "Pakistan's nuclear programme is a symbol of our nation's achievement, national security, pride and sovereignty," The Daily Times quoted Kaira, as saying. Kaira also rejected reports about a deal between the US and Pakistan regarding sharing nuclear details, terming them as 'speculative' and 'baseless'. "Pakistan's nuclear assets have been safe ever since Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and they will remain so. We will not allow any entity to breach the security of our nuclear programme and use Pakistan's nuclear technology for unlawful purposes," he added. It is worth mentioning here that renowned US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh's report in the latest issue of The New Yorker magazine claimed that Washington has been negotiating highly sensitive understandings with the Pakistani Army about the security of the country's nuclear arsenal.