Pakistani nuclear facilities are well protected and the country does not need foreign help to guard them, a Pakistani military spokesman says.

Talking on a local TV channel on Monday, Athar Abbas asserted that Pakistan knows how to protect its nuclear arsenal and nuclear facilities.

He went on to say that the US government has itself dismissed an article by Seymour M. Hersh, published in The New Yorker, that suggests otherwise, a Press TV correspondent reported on Monday.

“The actual purpose of the article is to wind up baseless concerns over Pakistan's nuclear weapons. However, senior US officials have always expressed satisfaction about our nuclear security,” Abbas stated.

Pakistani General Tariq Majid, also dismissed the article, calling it absurd and plain mischievous.

A military press release issued on Monday quoted Majid as saying, “We have operationalized a very effective nuclear security regime, which incorporates very stringent custodial and access controls.

“As overall custodian of the development of our strategic program, I reiterate in very unambiguous terms that there is absolutely no question of sharing or allowing any foreign individual, entity, or state any access to sensitive information about our nuclear assets.”

FTP/HGL