SEOUL, Nov 7: President Pervez Musharraf said on Friday that Pakistan was fully justified in developing missiles and nuclear weapons to counter the threats posed by India, and said it would never compromise on national security.

“I think we are fully justified in developing our nuclear and missile capability because there was an external threat and if ever that threat arises in any other area ... we will again respond to it in a similar manner in the future also,” he told a press conference here at the end of his three-day visit to South Korea.

President Musharraf said India was conducting a massive armaments build-up which had triggered an imbalance in conventional forces that posed a new danger.

“This is dangerous for regional and world peace point of view and I have been highlighting that imbalance in (unconventional) forces being created in our region to all world leaders,” he said.

“We will respond to this imbalance, we will rectify this imbalance in the future through all means possible,” the president added.

President Musharraf said during talks with South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun on Thursday he supported efforts to end the North Korean nuclear crisis through six-way talks bringing together the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

He denied that Islamabad had helped North Korea’s nuclear weapons drive during his four years in office and said he had no evidence that help had been forthcoming in the past.

He said reported visits to North Korea by nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan were connected to purchases of conventional short-range missiles.

“We have purchased these missiles from North Korea. We have also had a transfer of technology of these missiles. We now manufacture ourselves these missiles in the same organization that Dr A.Q. Khan headed,” he said.

“Therefore, I don’t know how many times he has visited, but maybe his interaction was in this respect,” President Musharraf said. He said Pakistan now had no arms collaboration with North Korea.

President Musharraf said Islamabad and Seoul had signed agreements for cooperation in the oil and gas sector and in the information technology sector. He gave no figures.

PAKISTANI COMMUNITY: Earlier, speaking at a gathering of Pakistani community here, President Musharraf said Pakistan was now economically strong and had a very credible deterrence.

He said our foreign exchange reserves had touched the recrod mark of over $11 billion. Foreign debts had been brought down to $35 billion, and exports earned $11 billion.

Referring to the plight of the Muslim Ummah, President Musharraf lamented that the West had not been fair towards Islam and after the 9/11 attacks the Muslims were being dubbed as extremists.

He rejected such perceptions. The president said Pakistan had a role to play at this critical juncture to steer the Ummah through the crisis.

RETURNS HOME: President Gen Pervez Musharraf returned here on Friday after a week-long visit to China and South Korea.

Talking to reporters after his arrival, the president described his visits to the two countries as “excellent”.

Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Chairman Senate Mohammedmian Soomoro, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen Mohammad Aziz Khan and Vice Chief of Army Staff Gen Mohammad Yusaf Khan received the president.—Agencies