25,000 soldiers guard Pakistan's nuclear arsenal

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Islamabad : Pakistan has raised a 25,000-strong special force and put in place extensive measures to protect and manage its strategic assets, including its nuclear arsenal, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said.

"A special security force of 25,000 personnel, who have been specially trained and provided sophisticated weapons, has been deployed to protect (the nuclear assets)," Dar said while winding up the debate on the 2013-14 budget in the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament.

Pakistan has raised a Special Response Force, a Special Escort Force and a Marine Force to protect and guard its strategic assets, he said, without giving further details. (Writer-South Asia)

Indian attack will trigger nuclear standoff : (CIA) can’t achieve success in war against terror without ISI’s support. Pakistan

Lahore, May 8: Pakistan has told United States that any surgical operation carried by India on the pattern of Abbotabad operation will lead to nuclear stand-off between the two countries.

Pakistan’s leading newspaper, The Nation quoted sources as having revealed that the top hierarchy in the country’s establishment has straightforwardly told the United States to “inculcate into the minds of Indians” that any type of misadventure could lead to an all out nuclear standoff between the two South Asian neighbours.


“The US violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty has set a very dangerous precedence, which hostile powers and particularly India can try to follow the same pattern. India needs to understand that such a transgression will be treated as an act of war by Pakistan,” sources said.


They said US needs to ensure that India gets this message loud and clear and doesn’t embark on an misadventure, which may plunge the region into a nuclear standoff’.


Another official, requesting anonymity, said that the US victory was made possible only due to the support of the ISI, the country’s premier intelligence agency.


He also made it clear that major victories against al Qaeda have been made possible only due to the efforts of the ISI and any future successes could only be achieved if there is a ‘close and meaningful cooperation’ between CIA and ISI.


‘They (CIA) can’t achieve success in war against terror without ISI’s support. Failure to unearth Osama’s presence at Abbottabad should not be allowed to tarnish a sterling performance by the ISI in the past nor be made a measure of its performance in the future’, a senior Defence Ministry official involved in counter-terrorism planning in post Osama scenario said.