Pakistan avoids 'tit-for-tat' nuke policy

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Islamabad will not engage in a "tit-for-tat" posture by engaging in another nuclear arms race with India, the Pakistani foreign minister said.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said his country was capable of protecting its national interests should India conduct a nuclear test but left the door open to diplomacy, the Associated Press of Pakistan reports.

"We don't have to follow the tit-for-tat policy," he said, adding, "We would analyze the situation then and follow a policy that suits our interests."

Qureshi stated he was interested in pursuing a relationship with New Delhi that was based on dialogue, noting both national leaders could meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York scheduled for Aug. 18.

He denied last week allegations raised in an article for the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists that his country had increased its nuclear arsenal from 60 warheads to between 70 and 90.

Pakistan and India have a legacy of acrimony based in part on disputes over Kashmir. Both nations are armed with nuclear weapons.

Tensions increased in the wake of the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, which were planned by militants affiliated with the Pakistani-based Lashkar-e-Toiba.