Defending the Arsenal
In an unstable Pakistan, can nuclear warheads be kept safe?

Pakistan denies US nuclear claim

The New Yorker magazine reported in its latest issue that the United States has been negotiating with Islamabad about the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. Current and former officials in Washington and Pakistan said agreements would allow specially trained American units to provide added security for the Pakistani arsenal in case of a crisis.

Pakistan has denied reports that its nuclear arsenal risks falling into wrong hands after a US magazine claimed Washington was firming up plans to help secure Islamabad's atomic weapons.

A statement from Pakistan's foreign ministry on Monday rejected the allegation made by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh in an article that he wrote for The New Yorker .
Pakistan's foreign ministry blasted the article as "utterly misleading and totally baseless", calling it "nothing more than a concoction to tarnish the image of Pakistan and create misgivings among its people".
The ministry also accused Hersh of making "several false and highly irresponsible claims by quoting anonymous and unverifiable sources".
"Pakistan's strategic assets are completely safe and secure ... Pakistan, as a sovereign state, will never allow any country to have direct or indirect access to its nuclear and strategic facilties. Any suggestion to this effect is simply preposterous".

In his article, Hersh alleged that the US has a covert team ready to fly into Pakistan at a moment's notice and defend nuclear installations from attack.