NEW YORK: US President Joe Biden has said Pakistan was “one of the most dangerous nations in the world” as it had “nuclear weapons without cohesion”. He made the remarks while addressing a Democratic Party congressional campaign committee reception on Friday.
And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion. Joe Biden, US President
The US President’s remarks at the reception of the governing party were made in the context of the changing geopolitical situation globally. “This is a guy (Chinese President Xi Jinping) who understands what he wants but has an enormous, enormous array of problems. How do we handle that? How do we handle that relative to what’s going on in Russia? And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion,” said Biden.
The West has expressed concern over the safety and security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. Many in the West are worried that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists or jihadi elements. In his speech, Biden said the world was changing rapidly and countries were rethinking their alliances. There was a lot at stake, Biden said, emphasising that the US had the capacity to lead the world to a place it had never been before. “And the truth of the matter is — I genuinely believe this — that the world is looking to us. Not a joke. Even our enemies are looking to us to figure out how we figure this out, what we do,” he said.
Reacting to Biden’s remarks, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said he had summoned the US ambassador. “As far as the question of the safety and security of Pakistan’s nuclear assets is concerned, we meet all international standards in accordance with the IAEA,” said Bilawal.
Two former Pakistan Prime Ministers came to the defence of the establishment in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan said he had two questions regarding the US President’s statement—“On what information has Biden reached this unwarranted conclusion on our nuclear capability when, having been the PM, I know we have one of the most secure nuclear command and control systems?”
Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif said, “Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state that is perfectly capable of safeguarding its national interests. Our nuclear program is in no way a threat to any country.” (With PTI inputs)
Beijing’s role
- China provided Pak designs of N-arms, range of missiles
- Designs include for Ghaznavi (320 km), Shaheen-2 (2,500 km) and Shaheen-3 (2,750 km).