ISLAMABAD: Director General Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) Major Gen Asif Ghafoor has ruled out the possibility a nuclear war between Pakistan and India, saying Pakistan sees its nuclear weapons as more of deterrence tool to prevent actual wars.

“No sane country having this [nuclear] capability would talk about using it,” he said in an interview to a Russian media outlet.

“Since we have gone overtly nuclear, as India also, our stance is that this capability eliminates the possibility of conventional war between the two states. So that is to say, this is a weapon of deterrence and a political choice.”

The DG ISPR said Pakistan will take steps toward non-proliferation of nuclear arms but only if India does the same.

“Pakistan will undertake anything which is based on equality. You cannot tie the hands of Pakistan and keep India open. Anything that happens should happen for both countries,” he stressed.

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Gen Ghafoor said Pakistan would welcome Russia’s role in mediating the recently inflamed tensions between Pakistan and India. He said Pakistan valued Russia’s role in the Afghan settlement process and recognized Moscow’s importance in regional processes.

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Talking about alleged use of F-16 to shot down Indian warplanes, he rejected India’s claims that Pakistan used US-made F-16 to down Indian aircraft in late February, stating that JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft developed jointly with China were used instead.

“The aircraft which engaged those targets and fought them were JF-17. As regard to how to use F-16, in what contest [they] were used or not – because at that point our entire Air Force was airborne – now it remains between Pakistan and the US to see how the MoUs regarding the use of F-16 have been adhered to or otherwise.”

He said Islamabad was discussing the use of its JF-17 with the United States and stressed that the country would use whatever it deemed necessary if it came to legitimate self-defence.

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