The United States is working with Pakistan to protect its nuclear technology from falling into the hands of extremists, a senior US official has said.‘‘We have had discussions with Pakistan on the need for the country to safeguard its technology and its nuclear material. We are confident they are are taking the necessary steps,’’ the official told Reuters.He commented after NBC Television’s Nightly News programme reported that since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, American nuclear experts grouped as the ‘‘US Liaison Committee’’ have spent millions of dollars to safeguard more than 40 weapons in Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.‘‘Meeting every two months, they are helping Pakistan develop state of the art security, including secret authorisation codes for the arsenal,’’ NBC reported.But the US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that US law and the NPT ‘‘prevent any direct involvement with (Pakistan’s) nuclear weapons.’’‘‘So we’ve had discussions with them generally about how they safeguard nuclear material,’’ he said. ‘‘We don’t want their materials to get into the wrong hands but won’t go over the edge of our law and the NPT,’’ he said. — (Reuters)
