Pakistan rejects India’s ‘misrepresentation’ of US remarks on nuclear testing

The Foreign Office on Friday rejected India’s attempt to link former US President Donald Trump’s comments on nuclear testing with Pakistan’s past nuclear record, terming it a deliberate distortion of facts and part of New Delhi’s disinformation campaign.

Responding to a media query, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said India was “clearly distorting facts and misrepresenting” President Trump’s remarks.

The spokesperson added that the United States had already clarified its position to the media, according to a statement from the Foreign Office.

“For the record, Pakistan’s last nuclear tests were conducted in May 1998. Our position on nuclear testing is well established and consistent,” the statement said, reaffirming Islamabad’s support for United Nations General Assembly resolutions calling for a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing.

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The spokesperson pointed out that, in contrast, India’s abstentions on these resolutions “reflect its ambiguous and questionable intentions on future nuclear testing.”

Pakistan reiterated that its nuclear programme operates under a “robust command and control structure, comprehensive export controls, and an impeccable record of compliance with the global non-proliferation regime.”

Allegations of “clandestine or illegal nuclear activities” were described as “baseless, malicious, and part of India’s disinformation campaign aimed at diverting attention from its own irresponsible conduct.”

The Foreign Office also expressed concern over India’s nuclear safety record, citing numerous incidents of theft and illicit trafficking of sensitive nuclear material over recent decades.

Pakistan expresses ‘serious concern’ over increasing incidents of radioactive theft in India

“As recently as last year, radioactive equipment from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), along with the highly radioactive substance Californium, valued at over USD 100 million, was found on sale in India,” the statement noted.

It warned that recurring incidents of theft and black-market sales indicate “a thriving nuclear black market for sensitive and dual-use materials in India,” urging the international community to take serious note of the situation, which poses a “grave threat to both regional and global security.”