Pakistan summons U.S. ambassador over Biden's nuclear remarks - Reuters

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KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Pakistan's overseas curate said connected Saturday helium had summoned the U.S. ambassador aft President Joe Biden questioned the information of Pakistan's atomic programme.

In a code connected Thursday, Biden said Pakistan is "maybe 1 of the astir unsafe nations successful the world" arsenic it has "nuclear weapons without immoderate cohesion".

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said helium was amazed by the comments. "As acold arsenic the question of the information and information of Pakistan's atomic assets are concerned, we conscionable each – each and each – planetary modular successful accordance with the IAEA," helium said astatine a property league connected Saturday.

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A transcript of Biden's code was published by the White House connected its website.

Bhutto-Zardari said helium didn't deliberation the determination to summon the U.S. ambassador would negatively impact relations with the United States, and said officials could code immoderate circumstantial concerns Washington had connected the atomic programme.

"The United States regularly meets with Pakistani officials." A U.S. State Department spokesperson successful Washington told Reuters successful a statement, adding: "As modular practice, we bash not remark connected the specifics of backstage diplomatic conversations."

Ties betwixt Islamabad and Washington, erstwhile adjacent allies, person conscionable started to lukewarm aft immoderate years of frosty relations, mostly owed to concerns astir Pakistan's alleged enactment of the Taliban successful Afghanistan. Pakistan denies this support.

The overseas curate said worries astir Pakistan's atomic programme were not raised connected his caller travel to Washington, wherever helium held extended meetings, including astatine the State Department.