Friday, November 22, 2002
Putin expresses concern at Pak nukes' fate
Vinay Shukla (PTI) Moscow, November 22
Expressing grave concern at the fate of Pakistani nuclear weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said these could fall into the hands of terrorists.
"Pakistan has mass destruction weapons, and we don't have any confidence that they will not fall into evil hands," he said at a joint press meet with US President George W Bush in the Catherine's Palace of the imperial summer retreat near St Petersburg.
Lauding President Pervez Musharraf for bringing stability in Pakistan, Putin said "We know what Musharraf is doing for the stability in the country and we back him in this".
Putin said the international community need to keep an eye on Islamabad to make sure it is not supporting terrorists.
"We should not forget about the safety of mass destruction weapons in those countries where they could fall into the hands of terrorists," he added. "We know that Osama bin Laden is hiding somewhere between Pakistan and Afghanistan," he said.
The 'nightmarish scenario' of the Pakistani nuclear weapons falling into the hands of Islamic extremists was one of the issues discussed at the US-Russian informal summit in St Petersburg on Friday, sources said. In the context of the discussion on global anti-terror combat Putin had strongly raised this issue with President Bush, they said.
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