Emergency in Pak will not affect military ties with US: Admiral Mullen

Admiral Michael Mullen, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that the emergency in Pakistan will not affect military to military relations with the United States.

Washington, Nov 21 : Admiral Michael Mullen, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that the emergency in Pakistan will not affect military to military relations with the United States.

Admiral Mullen told reporters at the Washington Foreign Press Centre that from a military standpoint, he had not seen any effect of the emergency on bilateral relations.

"The military to military contact still continues, and I see no problem there," he said."

"We continue to get the logistic support that we were getting for operations in Afghanistan. What goes through Pakistan, no interruptions there as well," Admiral Mullen added.

Admiral Mullen said that he did not believe in 'speculating what if', when asked how would the US respond if the situation in Pakistan deteriorated and the militants got hold of the country's nuclear weapons.

"It is certainly part of my understanding that those weapons are safe. We are sure that they are secure," he said.

The US, however, was 'mindful and watchful' about the dangers of weapons of mass destruction falling in the wrong hands anywhere in the world, he said.

"It would be a huge, huge challenge for all of us if those weapons were to fall in the hands of the terrorists," he said.

Admiral Mullen's comments came hours after the Pentagon announced plans to nearly double its funding to train and equip Pakistan's Frontier Corps.

According to a Pentagon spokesman, the US Defence Department has asked to spend 97 million dollars as support to the Pakistani paramilitary force in 2008, nearly double the amount for this year.

Morrell said the Pentagon had proposed building a centre in the NWFP for training paramilitary troops.

Smaller surveillance centres will also be built along the Afghan border to monitor the movement of militants, he added.

The Pentagon is also requesting additional funds to help purchase equipment for the Frontier Corps - including helmets, bulletproof vests, and night-vision goggles, the Dawn quoted Morrell, as saying.

He described the support programme as a joint venture with the Pakistan Government.

ANI