US, India discuss Pak nukes: The Nation, April 1, 2016

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT/APP
WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State John Kerry has praised India for what he called the “responsible stewardship” of its nuclear weapons and materials, while indicating that Washington and New Delhi have begun conversations about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme, including its development and deployment of battlefield tactical nuclear weapons, in the backdrop of the Nuclear Security Summit which got underway on Thursday.
“India has a long record of being a leader, of being responsible, and it is particularly important right now at a time when we see some choices being made in the region that may accelerate possible arms construction, which we have serious questions about,” Kerry said as he met Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval at the State Department.
In making that statement, Kerry ignored the fact that India was the first country to introduce nuclear weapon in South Asia.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the US capital on Thursday, but ahead of his arrival, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his US counterparts and other senior American interlocutors have been discussing the progress in India’s ties with Pakistan, including its nuclear posture, according to media reports.
Kerry gave a broad indication that the Pakistani nuclear programme came up in talks with Doval when he referred cryptically to Washington having “serious questions” about “some choices” being made in the region that “may accelerate possible arms construction.”
“We’ve raised them with various partners in the region. So our hope is that this Nuclear Security Summit will contribute to everybody’s understanding about our global responsibilities and choices,” Kerry said, without directly naming Pakistan.
“India has a very important role to play with respect to responsible stewardship of nuclear weapons and nuclear materials. India has a long record of being a leader, of being responsible, and it is particularly important right now at a time when we see in the region some choices being made that may accelerate possible arms construction, which we have serious questions about,” Kerry, with Doval beside him, said.
The Pakistan delegation to the summit is being led by Tariq Fatemi, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs.
President Barack Obama opened the two-day summit at the Walter E Washington Convention Center with a trilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye as he sought to signal a unified front against the growing threat of North Korea.http://nation.com.pk/national/01-Apr-2016/us-india-discuss-pak-nukes