Pakistan Not For Nuclear Arms Race with India: MusharrafPakistan's Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf Monday reiterated Pakistan will not enter into nuclear arms race with India and will never subject the nation to economic deprivation."We would not enter into nuclear arms race with India and would never subject our people to economic deprivation," he said while delivering a speech at a local college. Reiterating Islamabad's nuclear policy, the chief executive said Pakistan was forced in May 1998 to demonstrate its nuclear capability in response to multiple Indian nuclear tests. "The rationale behind our nuclear policy is purely security and we only want to maintain a minimum credible deterrence to deter any aggression against our homeland," he said, adding "Pakistan, unlike India does not harbor any ambitions of regional or global status. We fully support the creation of a strategic self- restraint regime in the subcontinent and expect a positive response from our neighbor." However, he made it clear that security of Pakistan will remain "paramount in our minds and hearts." Apart from achieving minimum deterrence capability, General Musharraf said the main thrust of Pakistan's nuclear program is on peaceful applications. |
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