Monday, July 4 2005 15:01 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Days after criticising the Indo-US defence agreement, Pakistan has changed its tune saying there is no need to panic and that it has not protested to Washington "in the larger perspective".

"There is no need to panic," Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri told reporters in Lahore yesterday (July 3, 2005) replying to questions on the 10-year defence agreement signed by India and the United States last week in Washington.

Criticising the agreement, Kasuri had said last Friday (July 1, 2005) that it would disturb the balance of power in South Asia and lead to an arms race in the region.

Kasuri said yesterday that Pakistan did not protest to the United States in the "larger perspective" and reposed complete confidence in its own capabilities.

India purchased weapons from Russia, Germany and France in past on which Pakistan had never raised alarm even though it has expressed concern with the United States over supply of improvised weapons like anti-ballistic missiles.

Kasuri said Pakistan does not want to indulge in arms race with India but at the same time it would maintain "minimum credible deterrence" to ensure its sovereignty.

He said though both Pakistan and India are nuclear powers, only the insane could think of a nuclear war between the two countries.