American presidential nominee of democrats, Hillary Clinton has expressed concern over the possibility of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into the hands of jihadists, which she said is “a threatening scenario”. “Pakistan is running full speed to develop tactical nukes in their continuing hostility with India,” the former secretary of state said in a close door fundraiser in Virginia in February.
“But we live in fear that they’re going to have a coup, that jihadists are going to take over the government, they’re going to get access to nuclear weapons, and you’ll have suicide nuclear bombers. So, this could not be a more threatening scenario,” Clinton said.
Remarks from the former secretary of state gains significance in view of an interview of Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif to the local TV channel in which he threatened to unleash nukes against India.
“If our safety is threatened, we will annihilate them (India),” Asif had said. The United States have taken a strong note of Asif’s recent statements on use of nuclear weapons.
“Nuclear capable states have the responsibility to exercise restraint regarding nuclear weapons and missile capabilities,” a state department official said.
Defence Secretary Ashton Carter had said that while India has generally shown a responsible behaviour with nuclear technology, China conducts itself professionally, nuclear weapons in Pakistan are entangled in history of tensions.
in an opinion on ‘Consequences of Pakistani Terrorism: Raids signal that India won’t tolerate more attacks in Kashmir’, The Wall Street Journal has warned that Pakistan increasingly risks becoming a “pariah state” if it continues with policies. It said that if Pakistan wants to prevent an escalation of violence it needs to shut down the terror groups it continues to support.
“That should start with Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, two major jihadist groups that operate openly in Pakistan and are prime suspects in these attacks,” it said.
“Both groups are supported by its military despite being on United Nations lists of terrorist organizations,” the daily said, a day after India carried out surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir against terrorists planning to sneak into the country.
The Journal noted that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently offered closer economic and diplomatic ties to Pakistan as long as it stops supporting terrorism. Pakistan, it argued, needs a new vision centered on improving the lives of its people.
By Premji
