Islamabad: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani once again asserted yesterday that Pakistan's nuclear assets were in safe hands, as he left for the US to attend a nuclear security summit.
"I assure the world, I assure the people of Pakistan that the nuclear capability, the nuclear programme is in safe hands," Gilani told reporters before departure.
Gilani, accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi, will hold a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Washington summit.
Asked whether he would meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said no meeting had been scheduled yet.
Gilani recently assumed chairmanship of the National Command Authority controlling the nuclear arsenal after President Asif Ali Zardari transferred the position to him.
Under a Parliamentary Reforms Bill passed by the National Assembly last week, which is yet to be adopted by the senate, the prime minister's powers are to receive a substantial boost.
At a media briefing, foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said the nuclear summit was not country-specific.
Partnership
The spokesman said a scheduled meeting between President Barack Obama and Gilani on the sidelines of the summit would help promote strategic partnership between the two countries.
Basit said the summit, being attended by over 40 nations, would focus on the security of nuclear materials.
The spokesman said Gilani would apprise the international community of the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear programme.