Pakistan presents danger to entire world: NYT editorial

With as many as 120 warheads in Pakistan, the country presents danger to not only South Asia but the entire world, The New York Times editorial said.

It said that Pakistan could become the world's third-ranked nuclear power, behind the United States and Russia, but ahead of China, France and Britain.

Its arsenal is growing faster than any other country's and it has become even more lethal in recent years with the addition of small tactical nuclear weapons that can hit India and longer-range nuclear missiles that can reach farther, the editorial further said.

The fact that Pakistan is also home to many extremist groups "adds to the danger it presents for South Asia and, indeed, the entire world."

The paper states that the recent meeting between the US President Barack Obama and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seems to have gone nowhere in this regard, especially at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan are on an upward spiral over the issue of terrorism and Kashmir.

The editorial says that Pakistan, at the moment, is a pariah in the nuclear sphere to all but China; it has been punished internationally ever since it followed India's example and tested a weapon in 1998.

American officials say they are not offering Pakistan an India-like deal, which would face stiff opposition in Congress, but are discussing what Pakistan needs to do to justify American support for its membership in the 48-nation Nuclear Supplier Group, which governs trade in nuclear fuel and technology, according to the New York Times editorial.