WASHINGTON, July 21: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that religious extremists could seize Pakistan’s nuclear assets should President Pervez Musharraf be replaced. “If they get into the hands of the jihadi elements that could pose serious problems ..... I hope that this does not happen and I pray that this will not happen,” said the Indian PM.

Mr Singh, who is returning home on Friday after a state visit to the US, said he hoped that “credible solutions” can be found to this problem but did not explain the solutions.

He also strongly opposed the suggestion that Washington could sign a similar nuclear deal with Pakistan as it did with India.

“That’s a decision the United States has to make,” said Mr Singh when asked if Pakistan asks for a similar agreement, what he would expect the United States to say. “But quite frankly … I have to be realistic enough to recognize the role that terrorist elements have played in the last few years in the history of Pakistan.”

In interviews to the Washington Post and the CNN Mr Singh, who on Monday signed a nuclear deal with the US which brings the same benefits and advantages to India as given to five recognized nuclear states of the world, said he wanted to work with President Musharraf to “bring greater balance in our own relations,” but he cannot ignore the role played by terrorist elements in Pakistan’s history.

“Taliban was creation of Pakistani extremists, the Wahabi Islam which has flourished, thousands and thousands of Madrassas (seminaries) were set up to preach this jihad based on hatred to other religions,” said Mr Singh while explaining why Pakistan could not be accepted as a state with nuclear technology.

“Pakistan is not a democracy in the sense that we and you know. We wish Pakistan success in emerging as a moderate Muslim state. We will work with President Musharraf …… but we have to recognize what has happened.”

Mr Singh claimed that Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network still had a “significant base” in Pakistan.

Responding to a question about India’s relations with Iran, Mr Sing said India can be a bridge between Iran and rest of the world, particularly the United States.

“We have strong civilisation based links with Iran. Also I would say Iran is the largest Shia Muslim country in the world. We have the second largest Shia Muslim population in our country …… and I do believe that because of our unique history we can be a bridge.”

But Mr Singh that India would like Iran “to honour its obligations…… Our interest would be to work with other like-minded countries that a constructive solution can be found for the problems that Iran is expressing and the world community is expressing about Iran.”

Mr Singh, who in the past had strongly advocated building a gas pipeline from Iran to India through Pakistan, appeared to have slightly changed his stance. Responding to a question about the proposed pipeline, he said that construction of a Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline involved many risks because of the uncertainties of the situation in Iran. “I am realistic enough”, he observed referring to the risks but then pointed out that India ‘desperately’ needed new sources of energy.

“That is why we have agreed with Pakistan to explore possibility of a pipeline”, he pointed out and said that only preliminary’ discussions had taken place so far.