Hillary fears nuclear suicide bombers from Pakistan

Washington, September 30

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has expressed concern over the possibility of emergence of nuclear suicide bombers from Pakistan if jihadists get access to the country's atomic weapons, a media report has said.

“We live in fear that they're going to have a coup, that jihadists are going to take over the government, they're going to get access to nuclear weapons, and you'll have suicide nuclear bombers. So, this could not be a more threatening scenario," the New York Times said, quoting Clinton as saying in an audio being hacked from Democratic Party's computers.

"Pakistan is running full speed to develop tactical nukes in their continuing hostility with India," the former secretary of state told a close door fundraiser in Virginia in February, the paper reported, citing 50-minute audio that appeared on the website of The Washington Free Beacon.

During the fund raiser, responding to a question on modernisation of nuclear weapons, the daily said, Clinton went beyond the question to warn of an emerging nuclear arms race, naming Russia and China as well as Pakistan and India.

"This is one of the most dangerous developments imaginable," Clinton said.

Such remarks from the former secretary of state gains significance in view of an interview of Pakistani Defence Minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif to the local TV channel in which he threatened to unleash nukes against India.

"If our safety is threatened, we will annihilate them (India)," Asif had said. The United States appears to have taken a strong note of Asif's recent statements on use of nuclear weapons.

"Nuclear capable states have the responsibility to exercise restraint regarding nuclear weapons and missile capabilities," a state department official told PTI when asked about the statements being made by the Pakistani leader. — PTI