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Pak says it changed CTBT stand because of "national concerns"

Pakistan Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan has said that India's signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty does not necessarily mean that Islamabad would follow suit.

Pakistan has changed its position on signing the CTBT because of "national concerns", the state-run Pakistan TV quoted Khan as telling businessmen in Lahore.

Islamabad had been refusing to sign global accords outlawing nuclear proliferation and nuclear tests unless New Delhi did.

"The positions of Pakistan and India with regard to defence and balance of power in the region are different due to which we cannot link the signing of the treaty with India," Khan said.

UNI

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