Washington: Pakistan has become the new command centre for al-Qaida and poses a greater national security threat to the US than Iraq, according to a report by a leading American think-tank which said Islamabad should be warned that the US-led war against terror could spread even to its territory.

Washington should be concerned over Islamabad's proliferation of nuclear weapons and support for terrorist movements affiliated to al-Qaida, a report by the Cato Institute said.

Pakistan has become the new command centre for al-Qaida and poses a greater threat to the US than Iraq, it said.

The concentration of al-Qaida presents the largest risk to US national security due to the proximity of al-Qaida and jihadi groups to power centres in nuclear Pakistan.

"US policymakers need to be concerned about the Pakistani nuclear arsenal, the level of threat posed to that arsenal by al-Qaida and related terrorist groups within Pakistan, the stability of Pakistan's regime, and the country's record on nuclear proliferation," said Subodh Atal, an independent foreign affairs analyst, in the report "Extremist, Nuclear Pakistan: An Emerging Threat?"

As President (George W) Bush has been pressuring Iraq to disarm while mulling military action against Saddam Hussein's regime, the US has ignored the presence of al-Qaida operatives in Pakistan, where they fled and re-established themselves following US action in Afghanistan, he said.

The US "should warn Musharraf that if Pakistan is unwilling or incapable of cleansing itself of its terrorist infrastructure, the US military will take matters into its own hands and extend the anti-terrorism war into Pakistani territory".

The report said elements within Pakistan's military and its intelligence agency, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), have engaged in active proliferation of nuclear weapons technology.

Although the US has touted Pakistan as a "frontline ally" in the war on terrorism, the report said Islamabad continues to support terrorist movements affiliated with al-Qaida and has also played a significant role in advancing North Korea's nuclear programme.

PTI