"These concerns have been fully validated by publicly available reports on significant upcoming fissile material facilities and build up of un-safeguarded weapon usable fissile material in India," he said. A new groundbreaking research carried out by nuclear experts has reportedly disclosed that India can produce a maximum of 356 to 492 nuclear weapons, proving that the actual Indian nuclear bomb making capacity is far greater than most current western assessments.
Zakaria blamed the 2008 NSG [Nuclear Suppliers Group] waiver granted to India for the current Indian buildup, adding it not only dented the credibility of the non-proliferation regime and undermined its efficacy, but also negatively affected the strategic balance in South Asia.
He stated that it was unfortunate that the NSG did not require India to make any worthwhile non-proliferation commitments at the time. He warned that another country-specific exemption by the NSG on the membership question would only further exacerbate the ill effects of the 2008 exemption. "It remains our hope that the NSG member states would make a well-considered decision this time keeping in view its long-term implications for the global non-proliferation regime as well as strategic stability in our region", he added.
Asked whether Pakistan will participate in the Heart of Asia conference in India amid continued escalations, he said that the conference is aimed at bringing development in Afghanistan with the collaboration of other regional countries. He said that it is line with Pakistan's commitment of supporting all efforts towards peace and stability in Afghanistan that we will be attending the conference, adding Pakistan has always supported efforts to ensure peace and prosperity in the region and will continue to do so.
"We will play our role and will not let this regional forum fall prey to the myopic political agenda of any country", he said. However, he added that the decision on the level and manner of participation in the Heart of Asia Conference is yet to be taken. Commenting on a media reports about Haqqani network allegedly has a "free run" in Pakistan, he rejected the allegations, saying Pakistan has repeatedly stressed in meetings with the US and the Afghan government as well as on the media that Pakistan has taken and will continue to take decisive action against all terrorists and militant groups.
"We are fully committed that our soil would not be allowed to be used against other countries", he said, adding the National Action Plan is being successfully implemented and emphasised Pakistan is being threatened by the foreign sponsored terrorism like the recent terrorist incident in Quetta against police cadets. He referred to media reports which suggest that a senior Haqqani network leader and four senior commanders were killed in June and August this year in Afghanistan by the US forces, which clearly indicate where the Haqqanis are.
To a question about the possibility of resumption of peace process in Afghanistan in the wake of recent talks of an Afghan Taliban delegation in Islamabad and Qatar, he said that there are initiatives for the prospects of the peace talks like the upcoming Heart of Asia Conference.
"We support initiatives that are aimed at bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan. Pakistan remains committed to peace and stability in Afghanistan. We remain committed to the QCG process", he said, adding Pakistan sincerely hopes that sooner or later, the facilitator of the peace negotiations between the warring factions of Afghanistan would be able to bring all the factions to the negotiation. Pakistan will play its role in efforts for peace in Afghanistan, he added.
Commenting on senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's threatening statement, he said that Indian politicians have cast aspersions on Pakistan and have used this as a tool in domestic politics of India. "We see the current political debate about Pakistan in India, in the same backdrop as also its desperation to deflect the world attention from its atrocities in IoK", he said, adding the timing and pattern of heating up LoC and Working Boundary by India are suggestive and Pakistan condemns such crass attempts to malign it.
About Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan, he said that Indian involvement in terrorism inside Pakistan is well proven beyond doubt. "We have irrefutable evidence of that," he said, adding investigation from the arrested RAW agent Kulbushan Yadav is ongoing and the dossier is being compiled. As soon as the time is propitious, we will submit the dossier to the concerned, particularly the UN Secretary General", he added.
Regarding the Indian government to decision of declaring a Pakistani diplomatic official as persona non grata, he said that Pakistan has already rejected the allegations of espionage against the official. "It is on record that our official was mistreated against the diplomatic norms. He was kept under detention in contravention of the Vienna Convention. We have protested against this with the Indian side," he added.
He maintained that India has been seen taking a number of desperate steps primarily to deflect the attention of the international community from its atrocities in IoK. He said that India has had a track record of creating situation on its own soil to deflect attention and to achieve certain objectives.
"India is trying to portray that the uprising in IoK is not an indigenous movement of self-determination but an act of terrorism, which of course the world has already rejected", he added. About the charges against the Indian diplomatic official who was asked leave Pakistan by October 29, he said that Surjeet Singh was involved in activities that were directly against the national security interests of Pakistan, adding there were "irrefutable" evidence of India's state sponsored terrorism and terror financing activities in Pakistan. About the Prime Minister's participation in SCO conference on 02 November 2016, he expressed his inability to confirm the visit, saying as soon as he gets information it will be shared with the media.