UNITED NATIONS, Sept 26: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday that Pakistan would continue to adhere to its policy of credible minimum deterrence.

Speaking at a high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, Mr Sharif assured the international community that Pakistan did not want an arms race in South Asia, “because consequences of conflict with nuclear weapons will be horrendous”.

While adhering to the policy of credible minimum deterrence, Pakistan remained “fully alive to the evolving security dynamics and imperatives of deterrence and strategic stability in South Asia”, he said.

In the broader context of energy deficit in Pakistan, the prime minister called for the need to acquire energy from all sources including nuclear energy.

He said that Pakistan fully qualified to have full access to civil nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and “looks forward to international cooperation in nuclear energy under IAEA safeguards”.

Mr Sharif urged the world community to renew the global consensus on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

He also stressed the need for promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

He said that such a consensus should be based on equity, balance, restraint and cooperation among all states.

Mr Sharif asked the General Assembly to convene a special session for this purpose and affirmed Pakistan’s readiness to make its contribution to this consensus-building exercise.

He also drew attention to policies based on discrimination and double standards, underscoring that such policies had damaged the integrity of treaties and norms of non-proliferation. He called for an end to nuclear discrimination.