ISLAMABAD, Oct 9: Pakistan on Monday censured a North Korea’s announcement that it had conducted a nuclear test and termed it a destabilising development for the region.

“We had urged the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to desist from introducing nuclear weapons in the Korean Peninsula,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said at a weekly briefing.

“It is regrettable that the DPRK chose to ignore the advice of the international community not to test a nuclear weapons device.”

Underscoring that Pakistan had consistently supported the six-party talks, she said: “We believe this mechanism should have been used to address North Korea’s concerns. We hope that all the countries in the region would exercise restraint.”

Answering a question, the spokesperson ruled out any link between the nuclear test and the assistance Dr A.Q. Khan might have given to the North Korean regime.

“There is absolutely no link between the nuclear test conducted by North Korea or what might have gone on between Dr A.Q. Khan and North Korean government.”

“North Korea’s programme is plutonium based and Pakistan’s is mainly uranium based,” she pointed out, adding: “There are speculations that plutonium was diverted from North Korean nuclear facility (for its nuclear weapons programme) which is plutonium based.

Disagreeing with a view that reprimanding North Korea amounted to interference in its internal affairs, Ms Aslam argued: “We are looking at it in the context of its impact and its ramifications on international peace and security.”

Asked what was the basis for Pakistan to condemn North Korea for something that it had itself done, she asserted: “There is a difference. Pakistan did not initiate a nuclear weapons programme in this region. We were acting purely in self-defence.

“Korean Peninsula is a nuclear weapons-free zone and we are afraid that this step by DPRK is going to have a chain reaction which nobody wants.”