Washington : Pakistan says that it has no intention to enter into a conventional or nuclear arms race in South Asia.
In a letter to the New York Times, a Pakistan Embassy spokesman in Washington referred to an editorial published in the newspaper saying that Pakistan was recklessly expanding its nuclear arsenal and drew the attention that it was India and not Pakistan, which introduced nuclear weapons in South Asia.
The spokesman pointed out that Pakistan was forced to develop a nuclear capability for self-defence due to its troubled history with India and that country’s accumulation of conventional and strategic capabilities. Nevertheless, he emphasized that Pakistan has consistently declared that its nuclear weapons are for deterrence, not war. Pakistan has no desire to engage in a conventional or nuclear arms race in South Asia.
He referred to editorial’s warnings about so-called internal turmoil in Pakistan and pointed out that Pakistan continues to deal effectively with the menace of terrorism. On the economy, only a glance at the International Monetary Fund’s latest review shows that the country is in far better shape than the editorial asserted.
The spokesman said time and again Pakistanis have proved their resilience and determination in difficult periods. He reminded the newspaper that recycling theories about impending economic disaster or terrorists posing a serious threat to the state structure serves no purpose.
