LAHORE, July 24: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the United States and the agreements signed by the two countries will not adversely affect Islamabad’s relations with Washington because of Pakistan’s unique strategic importance, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Sunday.

He told Dawn the relations with the US would remain unaffected as no other country enjoyed strategic importance comparable to Pakistan’s.

He said the nation had taken serious notice of the change in the Indian prime minister’s tone following his US visit. Dr Singh’s statements, he said, had spread disappointment in Pakistan.

New Delhi appears to be reviewing its position on Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, and it has threatened to stall the peace process in case the alleged infiltration from Pakistan continues.

In reply to a question, the minister alleged that India was behind the propaganda that extremists could seize Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. He said that since Pakistan was the only Muslim nuclear power, it was not being tolerated by others.

He said Pakistan had a very effective command and control system and there was no possibility of extremists taking over the control of nuclear weapons.

He said there was a very strong possibility of India’s nuclear weapons going to extremists.

Replying to a question, the minister said the ongoing police operation was against ‘terrorists’, and not ulema and religious institutions.

He said terrorists had hatched a conspiracy against ulema and seminaries and were trying to tarnish their image. He said the seminaries and the religious scholars should come out and play their role to counter the move.

He said an overwhelming majority of the seminaries were against militancy and extremism and the government held them in high esteem.

He urged the seminaries to register with the government, as proposed by President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

He held out an assurance that once these institutions registered, the government would take them along in combating terrorism and extremism.

The minister said only a few seminaries talked of militancy and it was because of them that the entire network was being defamed.