Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has expressed concern over the possibility of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into the hands of jihadists, which she said was “a threatening scenario”, according to a media report.The Journal noted that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently offered closer economic and diplomatic ties to Pakistan as long as it stops supporting terrorism.
Pakistan, it argued, needs a new vision centered on improving the lives of its people.
“Pakistan is running full speed to develop tactical nukes in their continuing hostility with India,” the former secretary of state told a close-door fundraiser in Virginia in February, The New York Times reported, citing 50-minute audio audio being hacked from the Democratic Party’s computers.
“But we live in fear that they’re going to have a coup, that jihadists are going to take over the government, they’re going to get access to nuclear weapons, and you’ll have suicide nuclear bombers.
So, this could not be a more threatening scenario,” the daily quoted Clinton as saying in the audio that appeared on The Washington Free Beacon website.
During the fund raiser, responding to a question on modernisation of nuclear weapons, the daily said, Clinton went beyond the question to warn of an emerging nuclear arms race, naming Russia and China as well as Pakistan and India.
Such remarks from the former secretary of state gains significance in view of an interview of Pakistani defence minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif to the local TV channel in which he threatened to unleash nukes against India.
“If our safety is threatened, we will annihilate them (India),” Asif had said.
The United States appears to have taken a strong note of Asif’s recent statements on use of nuclear weapons.
“Nuclear capable states have the responsibility to exercise restraint regarding nuclear weapons and missile capabilities,” a state department official said when asked about the statements being made by the Pakistani leader.
