Thursday, July 21 2005 14:36 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has warned of "serious" consequences if Islamic militants grabbed power in Pakistan and took control of its nuclear weapons arsenal.

Singh, wrapping up a four-day visit to the United States, said the Al-Qaeda terror network led by Osama bin Laden had a key base in Pakistan and that there was always the risk of Islamic militants seizing power in Pakistan.

In an interview with the CNN broadcasting network yesterday (July 20, 2005), the 72-year-old Singh said that he was worried about the security of Pakistan's nuclear assets.

"Well, the security of (nuclear) assets which are under control of Pakistan, I think does worry us. And I hope that credible solutions can be found today with that problem," Singh said.

Asked what specifically worried him about the nuclear weapons, he said, "Well, if they get into the hands of the jihadi element that could pose a serious problem." "I hope that this does not happen. And I pray that it will not happen."

On whether he was concerned that Islamic extremists in Pakistan could take charge, Singh said: "Well, there is always a danger.

"And we would like Pakistan to emerge as a moderate Islamic state, and we have a vested interest in the stability and progress in Pakistan."

Singh was also asked whether bin Laden and Al-Qaeda still had a "significant base" in Pakistan. "Well, I think there's no doubt about this," he said.

Singh said India devised its nuclear programme "because in the region that we live, we saw that there high proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in our neighborhood, which posed serious threat to our security.

"Therefore we had to take necessary preventive measures. What we have is a nuclear weapons doctrine which lays emphasis on critical minimum deterrence," he said.

Singh also said that he might be forced to suspend peace efforts with Pakistan if it did not curb militant infiltrations into Kashmir.

"I as the Prime Minister of a democracy cannot move ahead of Indian public opinion if acts of terrorism are not under control, that certainly affects my ability to push forward the process of normalizing our relations with Pakistan," he said.

Singh said, the backdrop for resolution of the Kashmir issue "can be easily vitiated if Pakistan's territory continues to be used to fan terrorist acts directed against our country."

Asked whether he trusted Musharraf, Singh said, "Well, I do trust. But I think there is an old saying of (former US) President (Ronald) Reagan: Trust and verify."

"And I sincerely hope that the commitments that Pakistan has made, that the territory of Pakistan will not be allowed to be used for planning terrorist acts against India, that commitment is honored in letter and in spirit. And we have some worries on that score, that the infrastructure of terror is largely intact in Pakistan", he said.