India warns Pakistan on nuclear weapons

The Indian defence minister has warned Pakistan it would be “erased from the world map” if Islamabad ever used nuclear weapons against his country.

Defence Minister George Fernandes last night took an indirect swipe at Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf for his country’s refusal to adopt a no-first-use policy on nuclear weapons.

“We have been saying all through, that the person who heads Pakistan today, who is also the whole and sole in-charge of that country, has been talking about using dangerous weapons including the nukes,” Fernandes said.

“Well, I would reply by saying that if Pakistan has decided that it wants to get itself destroyed and erased from the world map, then it may take this step of madness, but if wants to survive then it would not do so,” he said.

The nuclear-armed South Asian rivals, which narrowly averted a fourth war last year, have increased their hostile rhetoric and missile tests in recent weeks. Both countries expelled political envoys last week.