Pakistan determined to retain its nuclear weapon

A top Pakistani military commander says Islamabad would retain its nuclear weapon at all cost in the troubled south Asian region.

“Our nuclear weapons are the cornerstone of Pakistan’s deterrence doctrine and we are determined to retain it at all costs. No amount of coercion, direct or indirect, can force us to compromise on this core interest,” Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Tariq Majid said Thursday at National Defense University, Islamabad.

US and Indian officials in recent months have raised concerns over the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal amid growing insurgency across the country.

Officials in Islamabad, meanwhile, have ruled out the possibility of the nuclear weapons falling into the hands of the militants.

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India and Pakistan have occasionally tested conventional and unconventional weapons since their independence from Britain in 1947.

Both neighbors have refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other treaties that restrict developing or testing nuclear weapons.

Agencies