Saturday, October 8 2005 09:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

United Nations: Maintaining that it seeks to promote a strategic restraint regime with India, Pakistan has said that 'discriminatory approaches' in the nuclear or conventional fields will not advance stability in South Asia.

Pakistan will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states but "We are against an open-ended nuclear or conventional arms race in South Asia," Islamabad's Ambassador to UN Masood Khan said addressing a General Assembly committee yesterday (Oct 6, 2005).

Khan also claimed that Pakistan's strategic programme is security driven and not status driven.

"In South Asia we need a stable balance of conventional forces to ensure strategic stability between Pakistan and India," he said and, adding massive induction of sophisticated weaponry will accentuate conventional asymmetries and compel greater reliance on nuclear and missile deterrence, sources said.

There must be restraint both in the demand and the supply of conventional weapons in South Asia, Khan said.

Insisting that Pakistan seeks to promote a strategic restraint regime with India, he listed a series of measures to ensure responsible stewardship of his country's nuclear programme.

About the Middle East, Khan emphasised that resolute efforts should be made to defuse regional tensions and resolve conflicts.

He said Pakistan supports the fulfillment of international obligations by all states and the objective of creating a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East.