‘Pakistan’s nuclear program fully secure’

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Friday told the United Nations that it accorded the “highest priority” to ensuring a fool-proof safety and security mechanism for the country’s nuclear program, saying the arsenal was completely secure.
“Nuclear security is both a global challenge and a national responsibility,” Khar said in a speech to a high-level meeting on Countering Nuclear Terrorism. “Over the years we have put in place extensive physical protection measures, robust command and control structures, comprehensive export controls and wide-ranging regulatory regimes,” she said. The foreign minister told delegates that Pakistan’s regulatory regime encompassed physical protection of materials and facilities, material control and accounting, transport security, prevention of illicit trafficking and border controls, as well as plans to deal with possible radiological emergencies.
“We have also developed technical solutions, personnel responsibility programs, and intelligence capabilities to deal with WMD- (Weapons of Destruction) related terrorism,” she said. The foreign minister said Pakistan would cooperate in international efforts to strengthen regulatory mechanisms and establish effective barriers against the common threat of nuclear terrorism. “We are part of the global efforts to make sure that terrorists do not get their hands on nuclear materials, knowledge and expertise,” Khar added.