WASHINGTON - Pakistan’s nuclear weapons arsenal is secure despite political turmoil after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, the Pentagon said on Friday. “Our assessment is that the Pakistani nuclear arsenal is under control,” said Pentagon spokesman Col. Gary Keck. “At this time, we have no need for concern.”| I'm not sure I'd phrase it that way. |
Concern about the security of the arsenal surfaced in November, when Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency, prompting protests and arrests.
Despite the PentagonÂ’s assurances, some experts and U.S. lawmakers have argued instability raises risks in Pakistan, where the military is still suspected by some of at least knowing about the smuggling activities of PakistanÂ’s A.Q. Khan network that sold weapons technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya.