Our n-programme well guarded: Pak

Mukadam insisted that the safety systems in Pakistans nuclear reactors were regularly monitored and strengthened,and that they had been tested again in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan last year.

If anyone has such fears,I must say they are misplaced, he said.

Indian sources had said on Saturday New Delhi had very little confidence in the safety and security of Pakistans nuclear installations. They had said the threat to Pakistans nuclear programme was not just from rogue and terrorist elements,but also from the fact that there was a distinct possibility of misuse from within the establishment.

The remarks from both sides came in the run-up to the second Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul,beginning Monday. The two-day summit will bring more than 55 heads of state together,including PM Manmohan Singh,US President Barack Obama and Pakistani PM Yousuf Raza Gilani,in an attempt to find ways to further secure nuclear assets worldwide and prevent misuse.