Pak nuclear weapons safe and secure: Ishaq Dar

The Pakistan Finance Minister said that worries over the nation's nuclear weapons were unfounded

The nuclear weapons of Pakistan are completely safe and secure and the international community should have no doubts about its security, a Pakistani minister has said.

"I being member of the national command and control authority can say with responsibility that Pakistan's nukes are totally in safe hands.

"We had a recent review. The world should stop worrying about safety of nukes in Pakistan," the visiting Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar told a Washington audience yesterday.

"This is my core message today. The world should stop worrying about the safety of nukes in Pakistan. We have absolutely responsible, a controlled check and balance system," Dar said.

"I guarantee you that these worries are unfounded. There is no need to worry. Pakistan is in safe hands and so are nukes," the Finance Minister said in his remarks at the Atlantic Council, an eminent American think-tank.

Dar, who is in Washington to attend the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank said that the new Pakistan Government is committed to eliminate extremism and they and the west are on the same page with regard to dealing with extremism.

"Economy cannot flourish unless we deal with this menace. Our own leadership has been subjected to the different hits in the past. We can't afford. Let me assure you that our government is fully transparent. It believes in good governance. It can't tolerate any corruption at the top level.

"I can guarantee you, as far as extremism is concerned we are with the international community to do whatever we can," he said.

"We will do all what is necessary to make Pakistan and the world safe," he added.

Reiterating his government's commitment to economic reform, the Pak Minister said they are implementing a series of long-delayed reforms to turn around the broken economy.

"We are fully committed to reforms," he said in his remarks.