ISLAMABAD, 13 November 2007 — Pakistan warned yesterday it has sufficient “retaliatory capacity” to defend its nuclear weapons, after a report said Washington had made contingency plans to stop them falling into the wrong hands. The government also said it would not allow opposition leader Benazir Bhutto to stage a motorcade procession planned for today from Lahore to Islamabad to protest against emergency rule.

Denouncing “irresponsible conjecture,” the Foreign Ministry said Pakistan was ready and able to defend its nuclear arsenal and there was no risk of the arms being taken.

Its reaction followed a Washington Post report that with Pakistan in the throes of a political crisis, the United States had drawn up contingency plans in case the Pakistani military risked losing control of the weapons.

“If there is any threat to our nuclear assets and sovereignty, we have the capacity to defend ourselves,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said.

Separately, a ministry statement said in response to the daily’s report that “suffice it to say that Pakistan possesses adequate retaliatory capacity to defend its strategic assets and sovereignty.”

The ministry strongly denied its weapons were at any risk. “Our strategic assets are as safe as that of any other nuclear weapons state,” it said.

A number of US officials and lawmakers have voiced concern that President Pervez Musharraf’s government could lose control over its nuclear arsenal amid the crisis triggered by his imposition of a state of emergency.

The Washington Post cited several former US officials as saying that the plans envision efforts to remove a nuclear weapon at imminent risk of falling into the hands of terrorists. However it reported that US officials were worried their limited knowledge about the location of the arsenal could pose a problem.

That was laughed off by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry. “If they cannot locate Pakistan’s nuclear weapons despite their satellites, how can people sitting on a mountain know where they are?” it said.

Musharraf said Sunday he would stick to a January schedule for the elections, but set no time limit on emergency rule, which has resulted in the arrests of thousands of his critics, a ban on rallies and the blacking out of independent TV networks.

The measures, he argued, were necessary to ensure “absolutely fair and transparent elections” and to step up the fight against religious extremists threatening Pakistan.

Benazir plans to lead a 270 km “long march” from Lahore to the capital today to demand Musharraf quit as army chief, end emergency rule, reinstate the constitution and free thousands of detained lawyers and opponents.

But Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azim Khan said: “Rallies and protests are banned, they are not allowed. Whoever breaks the law will be taken to task.”

Earlier, Benazir welcomed Musharraf’s Jan. 9 cutoff date for the vote but said free and fair elections were not foreseeable under the emergency and with the president still army chief.

“In the given circumstances, boycotting elections could be an option,” she said in Lahore. “We will consult other political parties on this.”

Raja Zafarul Haq, chairman of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s party, demanded restoration of the constitution, which was suspended under the emergency, reinstatement of top judges purged by Musharraf and the release of detainees as well as Sharif’s return from exile.

“Under the current circumstances it is very difficult to expect there would be fair elections in the country,” he said. “Within the next week there will be meetings and we will finally decide whether to go for elections or agitation.”

— Additional input from agencies