Pakistan’s Prime Minister to Visit US

The spokesman said that Kashmiris are directly affected by Kashmir dispute and therefore a party to it, trying to validate Pakistan’s stance that Kashmiris should be part of bilateral talks between Pakistan and India.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has recorded his statement in a 25-year-old corruption case involving alleged distribution of money by the army among leading politicians to defeat slain ex-premier Benazir Bhutto in the general election of 1990.

The New York Times said the United States had spent as much as US$100 million during the Bush administration on a programme to help secure Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, an effort that had continued under Obama.

“Under the same principles, we want good relations with all our neighbours, including India but New Delhi’s unrealistic approach has been a big impediment”.

He also said that Pakistan “noted with concern” the attempts to disrupt functions organised in respect of prominent Pakistani personalities on visit to India.

“But the United States and Pakistan are regularly engaged in a dialogue about the importance of nuclear security”.

Sartaj Aziz told newsmen the responsibility of nuclear assets’ security resided with Pakistan only and should be left so as Pakistan will never compromise on minimum nuclear deterrence. It has sought an India-Pakistan strategic balance, omitting from the equation the China factor that India has to contend with. Pakistan has always maintained that its nuclear and delivery capability is India centric. In 2007, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher in response to a query on a possible timeline of a similar deal with Pakistan said, “Now, in 10 years, 20 years or 50 years”. They have said that Pakistan treats its nuclear programme as its pride and would not compromise.

The discussions come a decade after Abdul Qadeer Khan, one of the founders of Pakistan’s nuclear program, was caught selling nuclear technology to several countries. The treaty bars nations from building or possessing nuclear warheads. In this it has been aided by sundry Western non-proliferation experts who believe that the U.S. could have struck a harder nuclear bargain with India, and not having done that, a compensatory move would be a nuclear deal with Pakistan.