Cut out rhetoric, be responsible: US

US sends ‘direct message to Pakistan' as Pak Minister says his country may use 'tactical devices' against India

Soldiers stand on a tank transporter outside an army camp in Akhnoor, J&K,âu00c2u0080u00c2u0088on Saturday. Pic/PTI

Washington: The US has said it is sending out a clear, direct message to Pakistan to cut out "rhetoric" and be a "responsible" nuclear state, taking strong exception to the comments of some top officials in Islamabad that they will not hesitate to use such devices against India.

The comments by the US State Department, in response to a question during a briefing on Friday, came after Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif said in Islamabad that his country's "tactical devices" were not showpieces and would be used against India if its security was threatened.

"To answer your question about some of the rhetoric from the Pakistani government and the possibility of using nukes or nuclear weapons, I would just say nuclear-capable states have a very clear responsibility to exercise restraint regarding nuclear weapons and missile capabilities. That's my message publicly and that's certainly our message directly to the Pakistani authorities," US State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said on Saturday.

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