Pakistan has tactical nuclear weapons capable of causing 'targeted damage' in India, claims Sheikh Rashid

NANKANA SAHIB: Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has taken a dig at the recent statements made by Indian officials with regards to New Delhi engaging Islamabad in a 'limited war', warning that Pakistan had tactical nuclear weapons capable of causing targeted damage in India. 

Talking to the media after inspecting an under-construction railway station building in Nankana Sahib on Sunday, he warned the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi against provoking a nuclear power like Pakistan. 

"Pakistan has small 125-250 gram atom bombs (tactical nuclear weapons) which may hit (and destroy) a targeted area in India," Rashid was quoted as saying by Pakistani daily The News. 

The comment seemed to refer to recent statements made by Indian officials, including Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, that claimed New Delhi was in the process of reviewing a 'no first use' nuclear policy in light of changing circumstances in the sub-continent. 

The minister also took a swipe at the Hindu-supremacist views of Indian PM Modi, likening the policies of the incumbent Indian government to the fascist regimes of World War II villains Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Prime Minister Imran Khan has made similar comparisons recently. 

"The ideals of Narendra Modi are contradictory to those of [Jawaharlal] Nehru and [Mahatma] Gandhi," the minister said, and added that bilateral agreements with India stood dissolved after the August 5 decision by the Indian government to illegally annex Indian Occupied Kashmir. 

"India has committed two blunders. The first one was conducting atomic explosions with a perception that Pakistan would not follow suit. The second was made on August 5 to scrap the special status of IoK with a view that the people of Kashmir would not react to it," he said. 

The minister also announced that the railway station in Nankana Sahib would be named after Baba Guru Nanak. "The Baba Guru Nanak railway station will play a vital role in religious tourism in Pakistan, according to vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan," said Rashid. 

He also announced that a new train, namely Baba Guru Nanak train, would be started from Lahore to Nankana Sahib soon.