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Pakistan cries foul, calls for sanctions

Pakistan has condemned the three nuclear implosions conducted by India in Pokhran today, and called for international sanctions against the country.

Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan said: ''We condemn it. We want other countries to condemn it also and impose restrictions on India.''

The comments came in an interview to the BBC Urdu service.

When asked what Pakistan would do now, he said a decision will be taken on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's return from Cairo where he is attending the G-15 summit.

Ayub Khan said since May 1974, when India first imploded a nuclear device in Pokhran, Pakistan knew it was engaged in a nuclear weapons programme.

He said by the latest implosions, India wanted to prove to the world that it has become a nuclear power.

He said when the Vajpayee government came to power, it had made it clear that it would review the country's nuclear programme.

Radio Pakistan carried the news of the implosions in its 2030 hours bulletin without any official comment.

UNI

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