Indian Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh struck an alarmist tone on Saturday, saying India is concerned that extremist groups such as Islamic State may get their hands on nuclear arms from Pakistan.

“With the rise of ISIS in West Asia, one is afraid to an extent that perhaps they might get access to a nuclear arsenal from states like Pakistan,” Singh said on Saturday on the sidelines of the Shangri-La regional security conference in Singapore, Bloomberg reported.

Singh went on to add that if Pakistan develops technology that enables its submarines to carry nuclear warheads, “it would just be a step further in arming their defence services.”

India has also been criticised for the quality of its nuclear security. India’s nuclear materials security conditions were adversely affected by the continued increase in its quantities of nuclear material, as well as high levels of corruption among public officials, The Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative said last year.

In the latest issue of its propaganda magazine, Dabiq, the Islamic State (IS) suggested that the terrorist group is expanding so rapidly that it will buy its first nuclear weapon from Pakistan within a year.

The article, which the group attributes to British hostage John Cantlie, says that the IS surpassed its roots as “the most explosive Islamic ‘group’ in the modern world” to evolve into “the most explosive Islamic movement the modern world has ever seen” in less than twelve months.

The government has flip-flopped on its position on Islamic State with the Foreign Office saying the militant group posed a threat to the country just days after the interior minister had denied the presence of Islamic State in South Asia, particularly Pakistan.