Islamabad: Pakistan today (May 10, 2004) said United States and the rest of the world have extended a "de facto" recognition to Pakistan and India as nuclear weapon States by engaging the two countries on security related issues and promoting a dialogue between them to work out nuclear confidence building measures.

Reacting to assertions of by an US official that Washington did not recognise India and Pakistan as nuclear weapons States as they have not signed Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Pakistan Foreign spokesman Masood Khan said even though there was no direct recognition, the US and international community have indirectly recognised both countries as nuclear weapons States.

"The fact is whether United States recognises India and Pakistan as nuclear weapons States. These two countries are nuclear capable and nuclear weapons States. Their de facto status is recognised by everybody else because all the Governments, nuclear weapons States included, they are encouraging India and Pakistan towards nuclear Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) so that you do not have a very chaotic situation in this region," he said.

"There is a de facto recognition but you cannot have de jure recognition because of the obvious reasons," he told reporters in Islamabad.