Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday that "Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state," stressing that the country's nuclear assets have the best safeguards as per International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) requirements.
“We take these safety measures with utmost seriousness. Let no one have any doubts,” he said in a Twitter post.
His comments came after US President Joe Biden stated that “Pakistan may be one of the most dangerous nations in the world as it has nuclear weapons without any cohesion”.
During his speech at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Reception on Thursday, Biden spoke about Russia and China.
“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?” he asked.
"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,” he further stated.
In response to Biden's remark on Pakistan's nuclear assets, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto announced earlier today that the government had summoned Donald Blome, US Ambassador to Pakistan to issue a demarche over the matter.
Govt has summoned US envoy over Biden's 'most dangerous nation' remark: FM Bilawal
Speaking at a press conference, Bilawal said that as far as the question of the safety and security of Pakistan’s nuclear assets is concerned, the country meets each and every international standard in accordance with IAEA regulations.
“If there are any questions regarding nuclear safety, then they should be directed to India that accidentally fired a missile into Pakistani territory which is not only irresponsible and unsafe but also raises genuine and serious concerns about the safety of nuclear-capable countries,” he stressed. “I am surprised by Biden's remarks. This is exactly the sort of misunderstanding that is created when there is a lack of engagement.”
He announced that the government of Pakistan recently embarked on a journey of engagement with the US and marked the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations with the secretary of state.
“If there was a concern regarding nuclear assets, then it would have been raised in that meeting,” he said. “We will have additional opportunities to engage with the US and address the concerns and misconceptions it might have with regard to the nuclear capabilities of Pakistan.”
Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan lashed at Biden saying “on what info has the president of the US reached this unwarranted conclusion on our nuclear capability when, having been PM, I know we have one of the most secure nuclear command and control systems?”
Moreover, he questioned that, unlike the US which has been involved in wars across the world, when had Pakistan shown aggression, especially post-nuclearisation?
What is equally important is that “this Biden statement shows the total failure of imported government’s foreign policy and its claims of reset of relations with the US? Is this the reset?”
He criticised the government of Pakistan for breaking all records of incompetence.
“My greatest worry is that apart from leading us to economic ruin and with NRO2 for themselves, giving a license to white collar criminals to plunder the country, this government will also end up completely compromising our national security,” he wrote.