‘Nukes lack cohesion’; Joe Biden terms Pakistan 'most dangerous nation'

Washington: During an address at a democratic congressional campaign committee reception, United States President Joe Biden said that Pakistan may be ‘one of the most dangerous countries’ alleging that the country’s nukes lack cohesion. 

Joe Biden’s remarks were made in the context of the changing geopolitical situation globally while talking about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and how it has impacted the globe. 

An official transcript of the address, published on the White House’s website, quoted US President as saying: “And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion”. 

He also spoke about Washington's ties with other countries.

Biden added, "Did anybody think we would be in a situation where China is trying to figure out its role relative to Russia and relative to India and relative to Pakistan”. 

Referring to China President Xi Jinping, Biden said that he "understands what he wants but has an enormous array of problems," adding that he has spent more time with his Chinese counterpart than any other head of state in the world. 

“Of that, 68 were in person, over the last 10 years,” he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that Biden's remarks came shortly after Washington okayed a $450 million sustainment package for Pakistan's F-16 fleet. This reversed the former US President Donal Trump administration's decision in 2018 to suspend such assistance to Islamabad. 

In the meantime, Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan said that Joe Biden’s statement regarding Pakistan's nuclear programme is ‘baseless’. 

Khurram stressed that US President’s doubt about Pakistan's nuclear management is ‘completely wrong’. 

While addressing a press conference today, the former defence minister termed the “security and controls of Pakistan's nuclear programme as effective and standard,” adding that the stance has been confirmed by international organisations many times.