India called on the IAEA to take control of Pakistan's nuclear program
Kyiv • UNN
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh called on the IAEA to take control of Pakistan's nuclear weapons.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has stated that the International Atomic Energy Agency should take control of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
His statement came a few days after India and Pakistan ended their most serious confrontation.
During a speech to the military, Singh called Pakistan an "irresponsible" and "isolated" country.
Is nuclear weapons safe in the hands of such an irresponsible and rebellious nation. I believe Pakistan's nuclear weapons should be taken under IAEA control
Pakistan has not yet provided any official reaction to Singh's statement.
Addition
India and Pakistan became nuclear powers after conducting a series of nuclear tests in 1998 in response to each other. Their long-standing rivalry has made this region — one of the most densely populated in the world — one of the most dangerous nuclear hotspots.
The latest military conflict between the South Asian neighbours escalated rapidly on Saturday, and for a while there were fears that nuclear arsenals could be used, when the Pakistani military announced an upcoming meeting of the supreme body that controls the country's nuclear weapons.
However, the Minister of Defence of Pakistan stated that such a meeting was not planned.
Military analysts have suggested that this may have been a hint by Pakistan of the possibility of using nuclear weapons, as Islamabad adheres to a policy of "first strike" if it believes that the country's existence is threatened.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that India would strike terrorist shelters abroad again in the event of new attacks and would not allow itself to be restrained by what he called "nuclear blackmail" by Islamabad.
Pakistan rejected Modi's statements, calling them "provocative and inflammatory assertions" and said that this is a dangerous escalation.
India with a predominantly Hindu population and Islamist Pakistan have already fought three wars between themselves, including twice over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which both countries claim in full, but control partially.
Let us remind you
Indian and Pakistani military agreed on a ceasefire until Sunday, May 18. The negotiations took place the day before, as stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.