ISLAMABAD, April 14: The foreign ministry on Monday stated that while Pakistan’s nuclear programme and policy had been clearly spelt out to the world community, Islamabad did not “have any other weapons of mass destruction at all”.

Responding to questions about the country’s nuclear programme and its control and command structure, foreign office spokesman Aziz Ahmad Khan told his weekly news briefing “Pakistan’s nuclear programme and policy are very clear, and I need not repeat it”.

“Pakistan does not believe in any other forms of weapons of mass destruction at all; we do not have them; we do not support them and we support all international conventions, all UN resolutions and UN formulations in this regard,” he added.

As regards nuclear control and command structure, the spokesman emphasized that the international community had expressed satisfaction with the structure and safety measures of Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

About the repeated charges by Indian government leaders, including External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, asserting that Pakistan was “a fit target” for a pre-emptive strike, Mr Aziz Khan described the Indian threat as highly irresponsible.

However, he said, if any country qualified for such an act of pre-emptive strike, it was India which he maintained was responsible for possessing weapons of mass destruction and for the worst violations of human rights witnessed anywhere in the world, including the massacres of minorities such as Muslims and Christians in India and violation of UN resolutions.

Urging India to stop its sabre rattling, Mr Aziz Khan once again extended Pakistan’s readiness to hold negotiations and dialogue with Delhi across the table, on all issues including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan was against the principle of pre-emptive strike, he said, and added that Islamabad believed all issues should be resolved through negotiations and dialogue or through the good offices of the UN once and for all.

The spokesman said he was not aware of any high-level American visits to Pakistan in the immediate future in view of the growing tension in South Asia but recalled that they had travelled frequently to the area when the tensions between Pakistan and India had attained alarming levels last year.

The spokesman said as already known, Pakistan had stated that the Iraqi people should be given the right to decide their own future and to resolve their internal problems arising from the US-led military attack on Iraq. Pakistan felt seriously concerned over the present situation in Baghdad where plundering and disorder were rampant, he added.

The Iraqi diplomatic mission in Islamabad still existed but was in a limbo, as there was at present no government in Baghdad. The members of the mission remained here as Islamabad continued to extend them brotherly hospitality to them and had not disturbed their diplomatic status, Mr Aziz Khan said.

Replying to a question, the spokesman said Pakistan’s relations and interest in Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development remained high and pointed out that the private sector in Pakistan would be taking a keen interest when Kabul called for tenders in its reconstruction since it had the necessary infrastructure to take part in Afghanistan’s development.

He said Pakistan’s trade with Afghanistan had grown tremendously in the past year and even the facility of transit trade available to Kabul for overland route to India had risen by 50 per cent since last year. A Pakistan firm had also recently won a contract of $25 million for the construction of Spinboldak-Kandahar Road in an open tender, he added.