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December 4, 2008 10:45:33 AM CST

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Holes Emerge in Secret US Shield of Pakistan Nukes

Posted Nov 18, 07 9:14 AM CST in Politics,  World 

(Newser) – The US has secretly spent $100 million to safeguard Pakistan's nuclear weapons, but some officials fear protections may have been undermined by Pakistan's reluctance to share information. The aid, buried in a secret part of the budget, was intended to improve nuclear safety, reports the New York Times. But Pakistan has refused to reveal exactly how purchased safety equipment has been used or the location of its warheads.

"You are never sure what you really accomplished," said one US official. The program was set up after 9/11 amid US fears that Islamists could get  access to Pakistan's nukes—a nightmare scenario that President Pervez Musharraf has evoked to justify his iron grip. American officials say they believe Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is safe for now.

Source New York Times

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Musharraf Speaks About U.S.-Pakistani Relations   (Getty Images)
A Pakistani-made Hatf-II or Abdali ballistic missile is loaded on a launcher vehicle rolls in a street during a military parade in Islamabad, Pakistan in this photo taken on March 23, 2007. Pakistan successfully...   (Associated Press)
In this military handout picture dated 29 November 2006, Pakistani...   (Getty Images)
Pakistani youth carry replica of Pakistan-made Ghauri missile with a poster of Pakistan's nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, May 28, 2007. On Monday, Pakistani people...   (Associated Press)
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Pakistan • Pervez Musharraf • nuclear weapons • Islamic extremists • nuclear facilities


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