Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal should be brought under the surveillance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Indian Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh said yesterday, following last week’s conflict between Islamabad and New Delhi.
“I want to put this question to the world ... is Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal safe?” Singh said while addressing troops at a base in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir.
“Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal should be brought under the scrutiny of IAEA,” he added.
Photo: AFP
Singh’s comments came after the nuclear-armed rivals ended their worst military conflict in nearly three decades with the announcement of a ceasefire on Saturday.
The conflict sparked global concerns that it could spiral into a full-blown war.
The fighting began on Wednesday last week when India launched strikes against what it described as “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan.
Pakistan immediately responded with heavy artillery fire and a four-day standoff ensued between the South Asian rivals, which left about 70 people dead on both sides.
India claims that Pakistan backs the militants it says were behind an attack last month in which 26 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Islamabad denies any involvement.
India denied targeting Pakistan’s nuclear installations during the brief conflict.
“We have not hit Kirana Hills,” Indian Air Marshal A.K. Bharti told reporters, referring to a vast rocky mountain range where, according to Indian media reports, Pakistan stores its nuclear arsenal.
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