Agence France-Presse,
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's foreign ministry rejected on Wednesday a US intelligence report that “vulnerabilities exist” in the military's control of its nuclear weapons.
The US intelligence in its annual threat assessment said that the ongoing political uncertainty in the Islamic republic had not degraded the security surrounding its atomic warheads.
It said that the situation had “not seriously threatened the military's control of the nuclear arsenal, but vulnerabilities exist.”
Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq said there should be no concern over the issue.
“Pakistan's nuclear assets are safe. There should be no cause for concern over hypothetical scenarios which have zero probability,” Sadiq told a weekly briefing.
Sadiq also rejected criticisms in the Western media of Pakistan's record in tackling militancy, amid a wave of Islamist violence in the country.
“What Pakistan has done to counter the challenge of Al-Qaeda and to counter the challenge of terrorism is well known. We do not need to repeat that,” Sadiq said.
“Pakistan has given more sacrifices than any other country in this war.”
Pakistan has killed or captured several top Al-Qaeda leaders since 2001 but US officials say that its tribal regions bordering Afghanistan have become a safe haven for Islamist militants.
A top Al-Qaeda commander was killed by a US missile strike in the tribal zone of North Waziristan last week.
