World | Pakistan
Pakistan ready for nuclear no-first-use offer: Zardari
Pakistan is willing to commit to no-first-use of nuclear weapons, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Saturday, calling for more trade and easier travel between his country and India to improve bilateral relations.
- Reuters
- Published: 23:27 November 22, 2008
New Delhi: Pakistan is willing to commit to no-first-use of nuclear weapons, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Saturday, calling for more trade and easier travel between his country and India to improve bilateral relations.
He even suggested a South Asian pact to prevent use of nuclear weapons in a region rife with political and social turmoil and militancy. "I am glad I can say it with full confidence that I can get my parliament to agree upon that," Zardari told a conference in India through video conferencing from Islamabad. "I'm against nuclear warfare altogether."
Tit-for-tat nuclear tests by India and Pakistan in 1998 fed global worries of an unchecked arms race in an unstable region, but the two countries have since desisted from more tests.
Immediately after detonating nuclear devices in 1998, New Delhi declared a moratorium on further tests and offered a no first use arrangement. Pakistan had not reciprocated the offer.
Response
"This is pretty good news. Pakistan till now has been very reluctant to commit to no-first use," said C. Uday Bhaskar, a New Delhi-based strategic affairs expert. "It is quite a breakthrough, but we have to wait till tomorrow to see how the Pakistan general headquarters in Rawalpindi responds to Zardari's political initiative."
Share this article
More from Pakistan
More from World
News Editor's choice
-
Into an oasis of values
A place to snuggle in the warmth of old manners away from the bustle of city life
-
The walking MP
Rory Stewart's long walk in life has taken a new turn
-
What drives Africa's new kind of refugees?
Warming-driven factors have led many in the continent to flee their homes
