Nuclear assets safe in army’s hands, says Musharraf

LAHORE: Pakistan’s nuclear assets are safe as long as the army remains in charge of them, President General Pervez Musharraf told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in an interview. He said that if polls were held under disturbed conditions, the country’s nuclear arms could fall into the wrong hands. “They cannot fall into the wrong hands, if we manage ourselves politically... The military is there - as long as the military is there, nothing happens to the strategic assets, we are in charge and nobody does anything with them,” he said. Meanwhile in Islamabad, the Foreign Office clarified certain reports of President Musharraf saying the country’s nuclear weapons could fall into the wrong hands. The FO spokesperson said in a statement, “The report is a complete distortion of the president’s interview. Contrary to the report, President Musharraf had reiterated that the nuclear weapons could not fall into wrong hands.” The spokesperson said, “He had argued that because the military organisation is responsible for their safety and security, our strategic assets are secure and in no danger of falling into wrong hands.” daily times monitor

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