The United States has conveyed to Pakistan that nuclear threats are not acceptable, a senior State Department official, who did not want to be named, said. The message was conveyed after Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said twice in the span of a week that his country could use tactical nuclear weapons against India.

“We made that clear to them. Repeatedly,” the official said when asked whether the U.S has conveyed to Pakistan that no nuclear capable country is expected to threaten anyone with the use of nukes. “We haven't kept the devices that we have just as showpieces. But if our safety is threatened, we will annihilate them [India],” Mr. Asif had said.

“It is very concerning, it is a serious thing,” the U.S official said adding that the U.S has been urging both countries to “pull back and de-escalate.” “At the same time, we have made it very clear that what happened in the Indian Army base in Uri is an act of cross-border terrorism,” the official added.

The U.S is concerned about the safety of Pakistani nuclear weapons otherwise also, the official said. “The safety of these weapons is always a concern for us. So we are always monitoring it, regardless of what they said on this particular occasion,” he said.

Kerry’s role

Meanwhile, State Department spokesperson Mark Toner said the U.S Secretary of State John Kerry is talking to the Indian leadership to ensure that the situation does not escalate. “…we’re very concerned about the situation there. We don’t want to see it escalate any further. And as part of that concern, the Secretary is certainly engaged and talking to cIndian leadership – senior Indian leadership,” Mr. Toner said. Responding to what he termed as “rhetoric from the Pakistani Government and the possibility of using nukes” Mr. Toner said: “I would just say nuclear-capable states have a very clear responsibility to exercise restraint regarding nuclear weapons and missile capabilities. And that’s my message publicly and that’s certainly our message directly to the Pakistani authorities.”

“We understand that the Pakistani and Indian militaries have been in communication and we believe that continued communication between them is important to reduce tensions. I think we don’t — certainly don’t want to see any kind of escalation and any — and certainly any kind of break in that communication. We have repeatedly and consistently expressed our concerns regarding the danger that cross-border terrorism poses for the region, and that certainly includes the recent attacks – terrorist attacks in Uri. And we continue to urge actions to combat and delegitimise, terrorist groups like Lashkar-e Tayyiba, Haqqani Network, as well as Jaish-e-Mohammad,” he said.