Nuclear weapons in safe hands : Musharraf

New York, May 16 (ANI): Dismissing international community's concerns about the safety of the country's nuclear arsenal, former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has said that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are in safe and secure hands.

General Musharraf said the Pakistan Army has the capability to thwart any threat, and it is fully prepared to tackle the challenge posed by the extremists to the nuclear assets.

"Pakistani armed forces together with its people will never let nuclear weapons fall into the hands of extremist elements," The News quoted General Musharraf, as saying.

Backing the government's decision to launch a military offensive again the Taliban and other extremists in the Swat Valley, General Musharraf said that military action was the only option left to counter the expanding writ of the Taliban.

"The only way to end terrorism is to cease it to exist," he added.

General Musharraf, however, said that the situation of the country worsened only after he stepped down.

"The situation was much more under control when I stepped down. Now, the government and army will have to jointly devise a strategy to overcome militancy in Pakistan," he said. (ANI)