UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan told the United Nations on Friday that it accords the “highest priority” to ensuring a fool-proof safety and security mechanism for the country's nuclear programme.

“Nuclear security is both a global challenge and a national responsibility,” Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said in a speech to a high-level meeting on Countering Nuclear Terrorism.

“Over the years,” she said, “we have put in place extensive physical protection measures, robust command and control structures, comprehensive export controls and wide-ranging regulatory regimes,” she said.

The foreign minister told delegates that Pakistan's regulatory regime encompasses physical protection of materials and facilities, material control and accounting, transport security, prevention of illicit trafficking and border controls, as well as plans to deal with possible radiological emergencies.

“We have also developed technical solutions, personnel responsibility programmes, and intelligence capabilities to deal with WMD- (Weapons of Destruction) related terrorism,” she said.

The foreign minister said Pakistan would cooperate in international efforts to strengthen regulatory mechanisms and establish effective barriers against the common threat of nuclear terrorism.

“We are part of global efforts to make sure that terrorists do not law their hands on nuclear materials, knowledge and expertise,” Khar added.