Bilawal slams Imran Khan's nuclear programme remarks, calls him 'security risk'

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday called Prime Minister Imran Khan a 'security risk' for the country following his recent remarks on the nation's nuclear programme.

In an interview with HBO's Axios, Imran Khan said that Pakistan's nuclear programme has "only one purpose" -- deterrence. "It is not an offensive thing," he said.

During a rally in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Kotli area, Bilawal said that his grandfather, Zulfiqar Bhutto, "who gave Pakistan its nuclear capability" was declared a security risk, as was his mother, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Geo News reported.

"But when your puppet prime minister says we do not have any need for the atomic weapons programme, does he not become a security risk?" said the PPP chairman.

Bilawal further said that the prime minister had "not only compromised on PoK but also wanted to compromise Pakistan's nuclear capability".

"You have to give a message to the entities who declared the person who gave you nuclear capability and missile technology, a security risk," he said, calling on the people to chase the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) out of PoK.

He also exuded confidence that that PPP would get its prime minister elected in Pakistan after getting its candidate elected in the upcoming PoK Legislative Assembly elections on July 25, Geo News reported.

Earlier, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secretary-general in the National Assembly, on Tuesday said: "Who has given the right to this prime minister to say that Pakistan's nuclear programme is negotiable?"

"The cat is now out of the bag. Imran Khan has been brought (to power) to roll back Pakistan's nuclear programme. This is the agenda of the foreign donors," he stated, alleging that the purpose of giving the statement was to send a message that Pakistan was ready to roll back its deterrence.

( With inputs from ANI )