India says Pakistan nuclear arsenal should be under UN surveillance

Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal should be brought under the surveillance of the UN’s nuclear agency, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says after last week’s conflict.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, second left, with Indian defence chiefs. Picture: AP

Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal should be brought under the surveillance of the UN’s nuclear agency, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday, following last week’s conflict between Islamabad and New Delhi.

“I wanted to raise this question for the world: are nuclear weapons safe in the hands of a rogue and irresponsible nation?” Mr Singh told troops at a base in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir.

“I believe that Pakistan’s atomic weapons should be brought under he surveillance of IAEA. I want to say this very clearly,” he said, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“The entire world has seen how Pakistan has irresponsibly threatened India with nuclear attacks multiple times.” Pakistan repeatedly said during the conflict that the nuclear option was not on the table.

Mr Singh’s comments came as the nuclear-armed rivals ended their worst military conflict in nearly three decades with a ceasefire announcement on Saturday.

The conflict sparked global concerns that it could spiral into a full-blown war. The fighting began last Wednesday when India launched strikes against what it described as “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan.

Pakistan immediately responded with heavy artillery fire and a four-day standoff ensued between the South Asian rivals, which left around 70 people dead on both sides.

India claims Pakistan backed an April attack in which 26 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir – a charge Islamabad denies.

New Delhi had earlier denied targeting Pakistan’s nuclear installations during the brief conflict.

“We have not hit Kirana Hills,” Indian Air Marshal A.K. Bharti told reporters, referring to a vast rocky mountain range where, according to Indian media reports, Pakistan stores its nuclear arsenal.

AFP