By Xinhua
Islamabad : Visiting Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US, Admiral Mike Mullen Saturday said Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are in safe hands.
Addressing a news conference here, Mullen said, “Nuclear weapons are secure and they are not going to fall in the hands of the terrorists.”
Mullen said his country respected Pakistan’s integrity and solidarity and he was on a personal visit to build the relationship.
“Pakistani forces made sacrifices in the war against terrorism and the US appreciates the role of Pakistan as a strong ally in the war,” he said.
“Both nations are victims of terrorism,” Mullen said, adding that the US would continue to provide training to the armed forces of Pakistan.
“Pakistan is a sovereign state and we Americans respect it,” Mullen said.
To a question about the relation between the Afghan war and the war on terror, he said Taliban was defeated along with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and they tried to find “safe havens” in the Pakistan. “We are very focused on safe havens,” he added.
Mullen said that since 2001 the US has provided $5 billion to the Pakistan Army. The army has been using it in 91 operations with the involvement of a force of over 100,000 troops.
Admiral Mullen along with his entourage arrived in Pakistan on a three-day visit Friday.