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In the backdrop of the ever-deepening political instability inside Pakistan, the security of Pakistani nuclear weapons continues to be a matter of grave concern to the international community. The Herald quoting military sources said that a US Special Forces squad and volunteer scientists from the Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST) were on standby to ‘seize or disable’ Pakistani nuclear weapons so as to prevent them from falling into the hands of ‘Islamic extremists’, in the event of the collapse of the administration1. The Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Sadiq termed such reports “baseless and ridiculous” and asserted that Pakistan knew how to defend its nuclear assets2.
The security of Pakistani nuclear assets also figured prominently in the US presidential debates, with Senator Hillary Clinton suggesting a joint American and British team to look after them3.
- 1. Ian Bruce, “Special forces on standby over nuclear threat,” The Herald, December 31, 2007, at http://www.theherald.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1933388.mostviewed.special_fo...
- 2. “Pak rejects reports of possible takeover of its N-assets by US,” The Hindustan Times, January 2, 2008, at http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=514fe196-8c96-...
- 3. “US candidates want to ‘look after’ Islamabad’s nukes,” The Dawn, January 6, 2008, at http://www.dawn.com/2008/01/07/top12.htm