ISLAMABAD, June 10: Pakistan has decided to join the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. The initiative covers civil nuclear facilities only.

The Foreign Office said in a statement issued here on Saturday Pakistan had been invited to attend the Global Initiative’s next meeting in Kazakhstan on June 11-12.

The Global Initiative, which was jointly announced by the US and Russian presidents at the July 2006 G8 Summit in St. Petersburg, applies to civilian nuclear facilities and activities. Accordingly, military nuclear facilities and activities of nuclear weapon states party to the NPT are not covered by the initiative.

While joining the Global Initiative which aims at developing international cooperation to combat nuclear terrorism, Pakistan declared that it did not cover Pakistan’s military nuclear facilities or activities. “With this understanding, the sponsors of the Initiative have welcomed Pakistan’s participation,” the Foreign Office said.

“Pakistan’s participation in the Global Initiative is a manifestation of the fact that nuclear security and export control measures in Pakistan are at par with latest international standards,” the statement says.