OTTAWA, May 22 Security around Pakistan's nuclear weapons is “credible” and the danger of N-arms falling into the hands of terrorists or rogue army personnel is remote, says a report by Canadian military analysts.

The report obtained by the Canadian Press under access-to-information laws was made public on Friday.

The assessment, contained in a document prepared for Canada's top military commander, contradicts recent warnings by Defence Minister Peter MacKay who termed Pakistan the most dangerous country in the world.The report noted that the weapons were disassembled in deep underground bunkers. The fission cores were removed and placed separately from the non-nuclear explosive detonators. In addition, the warheads were kept nowhere near the missiles and aircraft meant to deliver them.

“This arrangement reduces the likelihood of terrorist theft or 'detonation in place' of an assembled nuclear weapon,” said the document. “It also minimises the possibility of an accidental or unauthorised launch of a weapon.”

It noted that after 9/11 attacks, Pakistan had taken a number of steps to safeguard its arsenal of 50-60 nuclear warheads. “Recent domestic instability in Pakistan and the possibility that it could intensify has renewed concern over the security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons,” said the document written after the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

“Though the threat posed by 'insiders' with access to nuclear materials cannot be ruled out, a range of measures implemented in recent years has reduced the likelihood of this threat. Command and control arrangements are credible and have centralised authority for the use of nuclear weapons in the hands of senior government officials and the military.”

Prior to a trip to Islamabad last week, Mr MacKay had warned that advancing Taliban forces posed a grave threat. “Let's not forget what's at stake, in that Pakistan has nuclear weapons. Who is in control of those nuclear weapons is of great concern to everyone, as it should be,” he was quoted as saying in an interview here.

A spokesman for the defence minister noted that the analysis was a year old and that Mr MacKay's comments were in the context of rising violence and instability in tribal areas along the Afghan border.

“The minister's concern is that he wants Pakistan to remain strong and that it can defend against the Islamist threat within its own border,” said the defence ministry's communications director Dan Dugas.

During his visit, Mr MacKay also said that Canada was prepared to end its 11-year arms embargo on the sale of military technology to Pakistan -- a statement that angered India, which said the high-tech weapons would in all likelihood be turned on them.

The comments also shocked the Foreign Affairs Department, which took the unusual step of publicly contradicting Mr MacKay who is a former foreign minister. “Canada's policy regarding military exports to Pakistan remains unchanged,” said Catherine Loubier, director of communications for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.The bottom line “There are no plans to lift restrictions on the arms sales.”