PM Aziz reiterates Pakistan's policy to stay away from arms race

Islamabad, June 1 (UNI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz today reiterated his government's policy of not indulging in an arms race with any country while remaining fully alive to the country's defence requirements.

''Neither has Pakistan any ambition to have the status of great power nor does it have a desire to engage in arms race with any other country,'' he said while speaking at the National Defence College in Islamabad.

Aziz said the government is determined to safeguard national integrity, solidarity, economic sovereignty and geo-political stability to ensure a developed industrialized and prosperous Pakistan.

''Besides ensuring minimum credible deterrence, Pakistan is also in favour of regional strategic restraint regime in strategic and conventional weapons,'' he stressed, adding Pakistan also believes in the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purpose and meet energy requirement through it under the IAEA safeguards.

He said Pakistan is keen to promote peace and cooperation with its neighbours by resolving all the outstanding issues.

For this purpose, he said, Pakistan is engaged with India in a composite dialogue process with sharp focus to resolve the core issue of Kashmir according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

Mr Aziz said Pakistan enjoys very close and friendly ties with China and intends to provide energy and trade corridor to China and India to meet their energy requirements.

He expressed satisfaction over Pakistan's relations with the United States, European Union as well as Russia and Japan.

UNI XC DKS VV1855