ISLAMABAD – Pakistan fires back over India’s nuclear watchdog call as Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made controversial statements, days after two arch-enemies agreed on ceasefire as tensions flare.
As world leaders tried cooling down heat between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India, another irresponsible statement from Singh put pthe eace process in jeopardy. Islamabad strongly denounced it and questioned safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and called for it to be placed under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan termed the Indian minister’s comments as “irresponsible” and reflective of “deep-rooted insecurity and frustration” over Pakistan’s effective conventional military deterrence.
“Pakistan’s conventional capabilities are more than sufficient to counter any aggression from New Delhi,” FO spox said, accusing New Delhi of relying on policy of “nuclear blackmail” to compensate for its strategic limitations.
He slammed Singh’s suggestion regarding IAEA, saying it revealed a “complete lack of understanding” of the agency’s mandate as a specialized arm of the United Nations. He asserted that India should instead be under scrutiny for its own track record of nuclear security breaches.
To make it more clear, Pakistan officials pointed to several alarming incidents in neighboring India involving unauthorized possession and trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials.
Atleast, three separate thefts of Californium were reported in 2021 alone as such incidents suggest existence of a black market for sensitive nuclear materials in India,” Khan warned.
Pakistan also urged international community and IAEA to take serious notice of these security lapses, calling for a thorough investigation and for India to implement strict measures to safeguard its nuclear facilities and materials.
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