President of the United States of America (USA), Joe Biden, has said that Pakistan may be “one of the most dangerous nations in the world” as the country has “nuclear weapons without any cohesion”.
The remark came during the US president’s address at a democratic congressional campaign committee reception.
What did the US President say?
“Did anybody think we’d be in a situation where China is trying to figure out its role relative to Russia and relative to India and relative to Pakistan,” the American President asked during his speech at the reception.
Talking about his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the US president termed him as a man who knew what he wanted but had an “enormous” array of problems.
“How do we handle that? How do we handle that relative to what’s going on in Russia? And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion,” Biden said, adding that despite a lot going on, the US has a hunk of opportunities to change the dynamic in the second quarter of the 21st century.
Reactions to the US President’s statement:
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif reacting to US President’s statement said that Pakistan rejects the remarks reportedly made by the US President, which are factually incorrect and misleading.
“Over the past decades, Pakistan has proven to be a most responsible nuclear state, wherein its nuclear programme is managed through a technically sound and foolproof command and control system,” read an official statement from the prime minister’s office.
“The real threat to international peace and security is posed by ultra-nationalism, violation of human rights in regions that are struggling against illegal occupation, violation of global norms by some states, repeated nuclear security incidents, and arms race among leading nuclear weapon states and introduction of new security constructs that disturb the regional balance.”
“Pakistan and the US have a long history of a friendly and mutually beneficial relationship. At a time, when the world is confronted by huge global challenges, it is critically important that genuine and durable efforts are made to recognize the real potential of the Pakistan-US relationship while avoiding unnecessary comments. It is our sincere desire to cooperate with the US to promote regional peace and security.”
“Let no one have any doubts. Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state and we are proud that our nuclear assets have the best safeguards as per IAEA requirements,” tweeted the premier.
“We take these safety measures with the utmost seriousness,” said the prime minister.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif said that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state that is perfectly capable of safeguarding its national interest whilst respecting international law and practices.
“Our nuclear program is in no way a threat to any country,” he said on Twitter. “Like all independent states, Pakistan reserves the right to protect its autonomy, sovereign statehood, and territorial integrity.”
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said he had two questions regarding the US president’s statement. “On what info has Biden reached this unwarranted conclusion on our nuclear capability when, having been PM, I know we have one of the most secure nuclear command & control systems?
“Unlike the US which has been involved in wars across the world, when has Pakistan shown aggression esp post-nuclearisation,” he asked.
Khan claimed that Biden’s statement showed the “total failure of the imported government’s foreign policy and its claims of a reset of relations with the US”.
“Is this the ‘reset’? This government has broken all records for incompetence,” Imran tweeted, adding that he feared the incumbent government would end up compromising national security.
The ruling PML-N has held PTI responsible for Biden’s statement, saying, the lobbying firm hired by the Imran Khan-led party is doing what it was paid to do.
“Make no mistake about it, this is a direct attack on the national security of Pakistan.”
Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan — a senior member of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet — has termed the US president’s statement about Pakistan’s nuclear programme “baseless”.
While answering a question about President Joe Biden’s comments regarding Pakistan during a press conference today, the former defence minister said, “Pakistan’s nuclear command and control system is absolutely safe which has been confirmed by international organisations many times”.
He said that the US president’s doubts about Pakistan’s nukes are “completely wrong and the statement is baseless”.
Meanwhile, ex-minister Fawad Chaudhry demanded that Biden should immediately retract his statement, asserting that Pakistan’s leadership may be weak but its people were not.
