US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday voiced confidence in Pakistan's security measures for its nuclear assets and reaffirmed the United State's commitment to be a dependable long-term ally of the key regional country. "The only thing I would say is what (Chairman Joint Chiefs Staff) Admiral (Mike) Mullen has testified to on a number of occasions and that is we are comfortable with the level of security of the Pakistani forces," he said at a Press Conference.
Gates was asked to comment on the safety of Pakistani nuclear weapons in the wake of unsubstantiated claims about Taliban's attempted attacks on some key strategic places in the last two years.
Questioned about the recent polls showing Pakistanis having negative public opinion of the United States, he expressed the confidence that over time the US would be able to demonstrate to the Pakistanis that it is their reliable ally. "One of the reasons the Pakistanis have concerns about us is that we walked from them twice - we walked away from them after the Soviets left Afghanistan and we walked away through the 1990s because of the Pressler amendment - so our military to military relations were significantly interrupted. "And so I think the Pakistanis, and probably with some legitimacy question how long are we preparted to stay there - is the only reason we are interested in working with the Pakistanis because of the war in Afghanistan or do we value Pakistan as a partner."
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