The New York Times-20080127-Nuclear Arsenal Remains Secure- General Asserts

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Nuclear Arsenal Remains Secure, General Asserts

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A top Pakistani official on Saturday dismissed concerns over the safety and security of the country's nuclear weapons, and said security alertness around its nuclear program had increased since the recent escalation of political turmoil and militant violence in the country.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was later widely identified as retired Lt. Gen. Khalid Kidwai, who is in charge of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

General Kidwai ruled out any possibility that Islamic extremists sympathetic to Taliban and Al Qaeda could gain control of a nuclear weapon.

We are conscious of this threat, he said. As the military, we should be prepared for worst contingencies. However, an attack by Islamic extremists on Pakistan's nuclear installations was a practical impossibility, he said, and if such an attack took place, it will be pre-empted through intelligence or we will be able to minimize the damage.

In a rare background briefing to representatives of foreign news media, General Kidwai said that the state of alertness has gone up, most certainly. But he insisted that there is no conceivable political situation in which the nuclear assets can fall into the wrong hands.

He said the government was confident in a command-and-control system it has had in place since 2000.

The security mechanism in place is functioning efficiently and we are capable of thwarting all types of threats whether these be inside, outside or a combination, he said.

Concerns over Pakistan's nuclear program have increased recently as Islamic militants have increased their attacks on Pakistan's military and officials of its powerful intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence. Last year, there was an unprecedented increase in the number of suicide attacks, according to the Interior Ministry.