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In
a speech on Thursday, Biden said Pakistan is "maybe one of the
most dangerous nations in the world" as it has "nuclear weapons
without any cohesion".
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said he was surprised by
the comments. "As far as the question of the safety and security
of Pakistan's nuclear assets are concerned, we meet all – each
and every – international standard in accordance with the IAEA,"
he said at a press conference on Saturday.
A transcript of Biden's speech was published by the White House
on its website.
Bhutto-Zardari said he didn't think the decision to summon the
U.S. ambassador would negatively affect relations with the
United States, and said officials could address any specific
concerns Washington had on the nuclear programme.
Ties between Islamabad and Washington, once close allies, have
just started to warm after some years of frosty relations,
mostly due to concerns about Pakistan's alleged support of the
Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies this support.
The foreign minister said worries about Pakistan's nuclear
programme were not raised on his recent trip to Washington,
where he held extensive meetings, including at the State
Department.
(Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Writing by Rupam Jain; Editing by
Kirsten Donovan and Ros Russell)
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