President Pervez Musharraf, defending his decision to declare emergency rule, has said Pakistan's nuclear weapons could fall into the wrong hands if elections led to disturbances.
The comments, in a BBC interview broadcast this morning, come as US envoy John Negroponte visited Pakistan to put pressure on Gen Musharraf to revoke the two-week-old emergency, make peace with opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and hold fair elections.
Gen Musharraf said that if elections were held in a "disturbed environment", it could bring in dangerous elements who might pose a risk to control of Pakistan's nuclear weapons.
"They cannot fall into the wrong hands, if we manage ourselves politically. The military is there - as long as the military is there, nothing happens to the strategic assets, we are in charge and nobody does anything with them," he said.
Gen Musharraf, who took power in a coup eight years ago, cited rising Islamist militancy and a hostile judiciary as reasons for declaring emergency rule. He has said a general election will be held before January 9th and he expects to step down as army chief and be sworn in as a civilian president beforehand.
In the interview conducted last night, Gen Musharraf dismissed opposition leader Ms Bhutto's chances of winning elections.
He blamed Mr Bhutto, who has called for him to relinquish power, for ruining chances of a deal which would see her serving as prime minister under his presidency.
"She disturbed the entire environment. She comes on a total confrontationalist approach," Gen Musharraf said of Ms Bhutto, who returned from eight years of self exile last month to lead her Pakistan People's Party in elections.
Ms Bhutto, who was freed after three days of house arrest shortly before Mr Negroponte's arrival, has said she does not trust Gen Musharraf to allow her party a clear run and wants the Election Commissioner replaced.