US expresses ‘confidence’ in Pakistan to keep nuclear weapons secure

The United States has expressed its “confidence” in Pakistan’s ability to secure its nuclear weapons, days after Islamabad summoned the US ambassador for an official demarche on US President Joe Biden’s remarks on the country’s nuclear arsenal. 

Pakistan is believed to have a stockpile of approximately 160 warheads, making it the 6th largest nuclear arsenal.

 US President Joe Biden on Thursday questioned the safety of Pakistan's nuclear program. He said Pakistan is "maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world" as it has "nuclear weapons without any cohesion," according to a transcript of the speech released by the White House.

US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a press briefing on Monday that the US has always viewed a secure and prosperous Pakistan as critical to American interests and that it was “confident of the commitment and its ability to secure its nuclear assets.”

Patel made the remarks shortly after a meeting between Pakistani Ambassador to the US Masood Khan and State Department Counselor Derek Chollet.

Chollet, a senior advisor to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, tweeted that he met the Pakistani ambassador to discuss the “longstanding partnership” between the two countries and to further grow ties.

In response, Ambassador Khan wrote that he and Chollet discussed “ways to build further resilience in #PAKUS ties and boost strategic trust.”

Biden’s apparently off-the-cuff remark on Thursday was made in the context of the changing geopolitical situation globally. The US president claimed the world was changing rapidly and countries were rethinking their alliances. “And the truth of the matter is — I genuinely believe this — that the world is looking to us. Not a joke. Even our enemies are looking to us to figure out how we figure this out, what we do.”

Biden went on to boast that the US has the capacity to lead the world.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday condemned Biden’s comments.

“Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state and we are proud that our nuclear assets have the best safeguards as per IAEA requirements,” Sharif tweeted, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency. “We take these safety measures with the utmost seriousness. Let no one have any doubts.”

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said he was amazed by Biden’s strange comments.

"As far as the question of the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear assets are concerned, we meet all – each and every – international standard in accordance with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," he said at a press conference on Saturday.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan also condemned Biden’s remarks on Pakistan’s nuclear program.

“I have 2 questions on this: 1. On what info has [the US president) reached this unwarranted conclusion on our nuclear capability when, having been PM, I know we have one of the most secure nuclear command & control systems?” Khan asked. 

“2. Unlike the US which has been involved in wars across the world, when has Pakistan shown aggression, especially post-nuclearisation?” he added.

Washington's relations with Pakistan have soured since last year when the US ended a two-decade war in Afghanistan, and then allegedly toppled the government of Prime Minister Khan.

Pakistan this week abstained from a United Nationals General Assembly vote to condemn Russia's incorporation of parts of Ukraine following referendums there, despite a major US diplomatic push to seek clearer condemnation of Moscow.

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