Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will tell U.S. President Barack Obama that Islamabad will not accept limits on its use of small tactical nuclear weapons, Pakistani officials said Wednesday.
Pakistan insists that smaller weapons would deter a sudden attack by its bigger neighbor India, which is also a nuclear power. But the United States worries tactical weapons may further destabilize an already volatile region, as their smaller size makes use more tempting in a conventional war.
Sharif and Obama are due to meet at the White House on Thursday. The Obama administration is preparing to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan in an attempt to bolster the two countries' relationship despite Washington's concerns about Pakistan's growing nuclear arsenal, according to a U.S. source familiar with the matter.