US might take over Pak nukes?

Press TV
Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Pakistan has dismissed a report that US forces will 'seize or disable' the country's nuclear weapons, after the assassination of Bhutto.

The British daily Herald had earlier quoted military sources as saying that a US Special Forces squad and volunteer scientists from the Nuclear Emergency Search Team had orders to take control of Pakistan's estimated 60 nuclear warheads.

The report also said some of the US forces were already in neighboring Afghanistan to 'seize or disable' Pakistan's nuclear weapons in the event of the collapse of the administration following the killing of former PM Benazir Bhutto.

Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesman Mohammad Sadiq, however, rejected the report as 'baseless and ridiculous', saying Pakistan has an effective command and control system, The Hindustan Times reported.

Over the past few weeks, Pakistan has been trying to allay the West's concerns about the safety of its nuclear arsenals, saying it has an established command and control system.