'India testing missiles with longer ranges'

NEW YORK: Pakistan has debunked a claim that it was irresponsibly building its nuclear arsenal, and called for shifting attention to India’s investment in destabilizing technologies and its aggressive posturing.

"Pakistan was not the first to introduce nuclear weapons in South Asia; India was," a spokesman of Pakistan Embassy in Washington said in a letter published in The New York Times on Saturday.

The spokesman, Nadeem Hotiana, was responding to a recent editorial of Times claiming that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal was growing "faster than any other country's", and that "persuading Pakistan to rein in its nuclear weapons program should be an international priority."

Hotiana, who is press attaché at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, said, “Recent public reports confirm that India continues to grow its nuclear programmeby testing missiles with longer ranges, working on coming fissile material production facilities, and investing in a nuclear triad that inevitably requires a larger nuclear arsenal.

“India also propounds war-fighting doctrines while being ascendant as one of the world’s largest importer of military hardware. A special waiver for India for nuclear trade is another destabilizing step, the letter said.

It added, “Pakistan has for decades offered proposals to India for nuclear restraint, including a strategic restraint regime that could address concerns raised in the editorial.As late as September, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan made fresh proposals for peace in South Asia in his speech at the United Nations.

Sadly, India has refused to engage. “Peace can be better served by focusing the world’s attention on India’s lack of constructive response to Pakistan’s proposals, its investment in destabilizing technologies and its aggressive posturing.”—Originally Published in The News