Pakistan will not sign NPT: Foreign secretary
Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry says his country will not sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) because it considers the pact as discriminatory.
“It is a discriminatory treaty. Pakistan has the right to defend itself, so Pakistan will not sign the NPT. Why should we?” Chaudhry was quoted as saying by the English-language daily Dawn on Wednesday.
He added that Islamabad would keep a “credible minimum deterrence, but it is not in an arms race with anyone,” in an apparent reference to the widely-held idea that Pakistan has been engaged in an arms race with India. Both countries possess nuclear arms in their arsenals.
“Pakistan believes in the concept of comprehensive strategic stability, which includes conventional weapons balance, nuclear restraint, resolution of the outstanding issues,” the top Pakistani diplomat said.
Chaudhry said Pakistan has proved that it can fully protect its nuclear assets by not allowing terrorists to reach the facilities holding them.
“The measures we have taken, no other country has, and it is recognized by other countries, too. We have fulfilled our responsibility. There is zero tolerance for such activities,” the Pakistani foreign secretary pointed out.
Both Pakistan and neighboring India have refused to sign the NPT and other international regulatory pacts that restrict developing or testing nuclear armament.
Islamabad has insisted that it will not join the international treaty until its archrival, New Delhi, does so.
MP/HJL/HRB
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