Pakistan decides to summon US Ambassador for demarche over Biden’s nuke remark: FM Bilawal
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday said that the incumbent government has decided to summon US Ambassador Donald Blome for an official demarche on US President Joe Biden’s remarks on Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.
Mr Biden had said at a Democratic congressional campaign committee reception on Thursday that Pakistan may be “one of the most dangerous nations in the world” as the country has “nuclear weapons without any cohesion”.
A transcript of the address, published on the White House’s website, quoted Joe Biden as saying: “… And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion.”
Addressing a press conference at the Bilawal House in Karachi on Saturday, Bilawal said that Pakistan’s nuclear assets “meet each and every international standard in accordance with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as far as security and safety is concerned”.
“If there is any question as to nuclear safety, then they should be directed to our neighbor India, who very recently accidentally fired a missile into Pakistani territory.
I am surprised by the remarks of President Biden […] I believe this is exactly the sort of misunderstanding that is created when there is a lack of engagement.
Bilawall Bhutto Zardari
“This is not only irresponsible and unsafe but raises genuine and serious concerns about the safety of nuclear-capable countries,” he pointed out.
The foreign minister said that Pakistan had embarked on a “journey of engagement” and just marked the 75th anniversary of bilateral engagements with the US.
“If this was such a concern, I imagine it would’ve been raised in that meeting with me, I believe that we have just started our journey of engagement and we will have many more opportunities to engage with the US and address any concerns and misconceptions they might have to this specific question.”
We have called the ambassador for a demarche, he said, adding that an opportunity should be allowed to the US to explain the position. “I don’t believe it negatively impacts the relations between Pakistan and the US. We will continue on the positive trajectory of engagements we are having so far,” Bilawal highlighted. – News Agencies
