Nirmala Sitharaman tells Lok Sabha govt is aware of reports on Pakistan expanding nuclear weapons capability

New Delhi: The government Wednesday said it was aware of reports on the expansion of Pakistan’s capability for production of fissile material for nuclear weapons and asserted that it was committed to taking all necessary steps to respond to any threat “suitably”. [caption id=“attachment_5296901” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. PTI[/caption] Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, replying to a question in Lok Sabha, said the government continues to monitor developments in this regard. “Government is aware of reports on the expansion of Pakistan’s capability for fissile material production for nuclear weapons, the expansion in its delivery capabilities and purported development of tactical nuclear weapons,” she said. The minister said the government was “committed to take all necessary steps to safeguard national security and respond to any threat suitably and adequately”. To a separate question on whether India has lost any territory as a result of international agreement and wars since independence or whether the country has gained any foreign territory through global pacts or wars during the period, she said the information is being collected form the ministries concerned.