India's pursuit of military preponderance in region challenge for Pak: General Majid

Islamabad, June 18(ANI): Pakistan Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) Chairman General Tariq Majid has asked the international community to realize the internal and external challenges that his country faces.

"We have to be mindful of the blatant pursuit of military preponderance in our neighbourhood," The Daily Times quoted Majid, as saying.

General Majid further said that retention of nuclear capability as a credible deterrent against a possible aggression was a compulsion, and not a choice for Pakistan.

He also said that as a responsible nuclear weapon state and despite being a non-NPT country, Pakistan has always supported non-proliferation efforts, and its position on disarmament issues has remained consistent and pragmatic.

"We demand our rightful place as a nuclear weapon state and reject discriminatory policies," General Majid said.

He also expressed his views on recurring concerns on safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and materials.

"We are shouldering our responsibility with utmost vigilance and confidence. We have put in place a very robust regime that includes multi-layered mechanisms and processes to secure our strategic assets, and have provided maximum transparency on our practices," General Majid said. (ANI)