‘Won’t restrict nuclear program’: Pak to US ahead of Sharif’s UNGA address

Pakistan's foreign secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said that ‘no other state had acted against terrorism as much as Pakistan had.’

New Delhi:

Ahead of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s address to the UN General Assembly, Pakistan's permanent representative to UN Maleeha Lodhi told reporters in New York that “Pakistan's nuclear program cannot be restricted.”

Lodhi said that during a meeting, US secretary of state John Kerry urged Nawaz Sharif to limit Pakistan's atomic program, but in response, Sharif said that what was expected of Pakistan must also be implemented by India.

“The world should first put an end to nuclear activities undertaken by India," said Lodhi and added that Pakistan's inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers Group was also discussed during the meeting.

Pakistan's foreign secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, who was also addressing the press conference, said that "no other state had acted against terrorism as much as Pakistan had."

Nawaz Sharif has held a telephonic conversation with Pakistan's Army Chief General Raheel Sharif ahead of his speech at the UN in which he is expected to raise the Kashmir issue, amid signs he may tone down his rhetoric to reduce tensions with India.

An official from the Prime Minister's Office said the two on Tuesday night discussed the situation in Kashmir and tense relations with India after the terrorist attack on an Indian army camp in Uri on Sunday in which 18 soldiers were killed.

Sharif had a plan to forcefully highlight the Kashmir violence, but the scenario changed after Uri terrorist attack which spotlighted the issue of cross-border militancy.

"The prime minister might strike a balance in his speech. He would talk about the Indian atrocities in Kashmir but also would be conciliatory to end tension," said the official.

Sharif may also offer proposals to address the Kashmir issue, including emphasis on implementing UN resolutions and the mediatory role of the international community.

On Monday, Raheel Sharif had met his top commanders and said the military was “watchful” towards the security imperatives of the country in the wake of “hostile narrative” by India.

“Taking note of a hostile narrative being propagated by India, Gen Sharif said that we are fully cognizant and closely watching the latest happenings in the region and their impact on the security of Pakistan. Armed forces of Pakistan are fully prepared to respond to the entire spectrum of direct and indirect threat,” the statement said.

The Uri incident was one of the deadliest attacks on Indian Army in recent years, as heavily-armed terrorists stormed a battalion headquarters of the force. Four militants involved in the terror strike were killed.

India's DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh has said the four killed were foreign terrorists and had carried with them items which had Pakistani markings and that initial reports indicated that they belonged to Pakistan-based Jaish-E-Mohammed group.

Sharif is poised to address the 71st UNGA session in New York later on Wednesday.