Pakistan called the British high commissioner to the Foreign
Office to protest the British minister's statement, accusing Islamabad of
exporting nuclear materials. "The false accusations that Pakistan was
exporting nuclear material or terrorism or becoming a threat to peace,
reflect a pre-conceived bias and are regrettable as well as
reprehensible," a Foreign Office spokesman said.
British High Commissioner Hillary Synnot was called to the Foreign Office
on Tuesday afternoon and was conveyed the serious concern of the
government of Pakistan over the statement by the British minister, the
spokesman said.
"The high commissioner was told that it was unfortunate that the British
minister made baseless accusations against Pakistan for which no ground
whatsoever existed. It was conveyed to the high commissioner that the
British government officials should ascertain facts instead of making
hasty and erroneous comments to the press," the spokesman added.
The spokesman said the Sunday Mirror had carried a story that Soviet
origin nuclear materials had been available for sale at the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border
"How this story could be used to criticise Pakistan's nuclear capability
and export controls defies logic. The false accusations such as that
Pakistan was exporting nuclear capability and terrorism or that the
country was becoming a threat to peace, reflected a pre-conceived bias
and are as regrettable as they are reprehensible. They are aimed at
maligning Pakistan and its image internationally," the spokesman added.