Pakistan assures atomic assets safety

Pakistan's Finance Minister Ishaq Dar assured Saturday that the country's atomic assets were "absolutely" safe. Dar, addressing a National Assembly session, said Pakistan's atomic assets were absolutely safe and that highly trained security force of 2,500 personnel equipped with modern weapons were entrusted to guard the assets. He said Special Response Force, Special Escort Force, Marine Force, Counter Intelligence Teams and Personnel Reliability Programmes were guarding the program of the atomic assets. Dar explained that the programme was protected by Strategic Forces Command which worked under a strict Regulatory Regime relating to nuclear safety including protection of material and facilities, Fissile Material Control and Accounting, steps against illegal trafficking and border controls. The programme has an Export Control Regime of international standards set up by Nuclear Suppliers Group, Missile Technology Control Regime and Australia Group, he further added. He informed the National Assembly that in 1999 the programme was divided in different parts but now it has a unified National Command Authority headed by the Prime Minister and Special Projects Division (SPD) acts as liaison among various programmes.