No roll back of nuke plan: Musharraf

Speaking to officers and soldiers at the Garrison Darbar in Quetta on Saturday, Musharraf revealed that the Government had spent more money in the last three or four years improving its nuclear capability than during the last 30 years, Dawn newspaper reported yesterday.

Pakistan carried out nuclear tests in May 1998 days, after India stunned the world with a series of similar tests.

The international community had condemned both countries for barging into the exclusive nuclear club uninvited and has been pressing both to roll back their nuclear programmes. Both have refused to yield to global sanctions.

Musharraf said that all requirements were being met for making the country secure and stable, adding that a strategy for the next 15 years had been chalked out to augment the country's defence.

Pakistan's main problem on defence and security fronts was not external threats, but internal challenges like terrorism, he said.

Speaking about the steps being taken to eliminate terrorism, he said the Government had been successful in arresting "90 per cent" of terrorists operating in the country.

AP adds: Pakistan'{ president confirmed Saturday that he'll meet with India's new premier in New York later this month, but vowed that Pakistan would not give up Kashmir -- a cau{e of lingering tension in the region, a local news agency repor|ed.

The planned talks between President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly session Sept. 21-22 will be the first between the leaders of the neighboring rivals since Singh took office in May.