Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) General Nadeem Raza on Monday said Pakistan is a responsible nuclear power, stressing that “unnecessary and unfounded views” on its nuclear programme should be avoided.
He made these remarks during a keynote address at the seminar on “Regional Environment and Imperatives of Security” at the NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS) in Islamabad.
Commenting on the regional security environment, General Raza said, “Pakistan’s nuclear programme enjoys across-the-board support of all political parties and the people of Pakistan. The NCA, with all its political and military leadership, stands firm for the strategic programme.”
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He reiterated the significance of Pakistan’s nuclear capability as the guarantor of deterrence and defence of Pakistan, assuring that under no circumstances shall the country allow a compromise on its nuclear program.
“Pakistan is a confident and responsible nuclear power. It pursues the policy of full-spectrum deterrence within the precincts of credible minimum deterrence. Our national security and safety architecture meets all national and international obligations and caters for all kinds of scenarios.”
General Raza, who is also the deputy chairman of the National Command Authority (NCA), said, “unnecessary and unfounded views on the strategic program should be avoided. When necessary, NCA is the right forum to issue specific responses or views.”
General Raza’s statement comes after PTI Chairman Imran Khan had urged the military establishment to make the “right decisions.”
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In an interview with Bol News, the former premier had warned that if Pakistan were to lose its nuclear deterrence, it would fragment into “three pieces.”
“If the establishment doesn’t make the right decisions then I can assure [you] in writing that [before everyone else] they and the army will be destroyed because what will become of the country if it goes bankrupt,” Khan said.
In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Khan is “making naked threats against the country” and deemed him unfit for public office.