Pakistan summons the US ambassador after President Joe Biden questioned its nuclear weapons safety protocols.
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Foreign Ministry: Pakistan is fully capable of protecting its nuclear weapons
Pakistan on Saturday summoned the US ambassador over President Joe Biden’s statements about the danger of Pakistan’s nuclear program.
According to the local Geo TV channel, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that “Pakistan has decided to summon the US ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in protest against President Joe Biden’s controversial statement on the safety of the country’s nuclear arsenal.”
Earlier today, US President Joe Biden said that Pakistan may be “one of the most dangerous countries in the world, as it possesses nuclear weapons without any restrictions.”
Bilawal said, during a press conference, that Pakistan is “fully capable of protecting its nuclear weapons,” stressing that it “meets all international standards according to the International Atomic Energy Agency with regard to security and safety.”
The Pakistani minister added that his country “is determined to ensure its safety,” calling for “to ask security questions, if any, about Indian nuclear weapons, which recently launched a missile on Pakistani soil by accident,” as he put it.
The Pakistani foreign minister confirmed that he “discussed President Biden’s statement with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in detail,” expressing “his hope that this incident would not negatively affect Pakistan-US relations.”
In turn, a member of the Pakistani National Council, Asad Omar, denounced the words of the US president, and indicated in a tweet to him via Twitter, that “countries with glass houses should think before throwing stones at others,” asking: “Is Biden referring to the United States? To pursue his party.” Trump after trying to undermine the constitution and steal the last presidential election.”
Nuclear country without cohesion? Is biden referring to the US? After all his party is going after donald trump for trying to subvert the constitution and steal the last presidential election! Countries in glass houses should think before throwing stones at others https://t.co/mhlCDilQgc
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) October 15, 2022
A member of the Pakistani National Assembly, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, indicated on Twitter that his country was registered “as a responsible nuclear power that is unquestionable and internationally attested, unlike the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.”
He added, “We have historically provided military assistance to the same armed forces whose general commander mistakenly questions our cohesion.”
Pakistan’s record as a responsible nuclear power is unimpeachable, and internationally attested to. Unlike the existence of WMDs in Iraq
We have also historically provided military assistance to the very armed forces whose commander in chief erroneously questions our “cohesion”
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) October 15, 2022