Bengaluru: Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit took a firm stand in defence of his country’s stockpile of nuclear weapons, saying, “Our weapons meet very real security requirements. We are a sovereign nation, in keeping with which, we will determine our own needs. No other country can dictate terms to us when it comes to our security.”
He also put his foot down against claims of Pakistan having sold Iran nuke technology in the 1980s, saying, “We now have a very tight export policy. No proliferation can take place.” He also referred to BJP President Amit Shah’s remark that Pakistan would celebrate if the Grand Alliance wins in Bihar, saying “There is no India-bashing during the Pakistan elections. Those days have gone – Thank God!”
He downplayed the role of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a self-proclaimed philanthropic organisation with known ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba, one of South Asia’s biggest terror outfits. This comes two days after former President Pervez Musharraf made a public statement on Pakistan having supported and trained terror groups.
“Musharraf has often said that we have trained militants. India has made controversial remarks too, I don’t need to bring them up because you already know,” said Basit. “Pakistan is a victim of terror. We have spent $120 billion trying to eradicate these groups. Jamaat-ud-Dawa is a philanthropic organisation, if they are found guilty of links to violence, the law will take its course and they will be damned.”
Referring to the 26/11 trials, he said, “Six people are being tried. However, I’m not in a position to discuss the dossiers that India shared with us after the Mumbai tragedy.”
