Pakistan will not delegate "advance authority" over nuclear weapons to military unit commanders even in the event of a crisis with India, according to a media report.
An unnamed senior Pakistani official was quoted by Washington-based National Journal as saying that the nuclear arsenal was under the control of a central body headed by the Prime Minister.
The country's top leadership "would not delegate advance authority over nuclear arms to unit commanders, even in the event of a crisis with India", the official told reporters in Washington on Tuesday.
However, the official acknowledged that "ultimately any battlefield use of tactical nuclear arms is left in military hands, as would be the case in virtually any nation's combat operations".
"The smallest to the largest - all weapons are under the central control of the National Command Authority, which is headed by the prime minister," said the official who spoke on condition of not being named.
"You must appreciate, in almost all the countries of the world, final operational control lies with the military, even here," the official said.
"But the basic control remains with the civilian leadership, in consultation with the military commanders. And the usage will be controlled at the highest level, even if the smallest device in the smallest numbers has to be used."
The official claimed Pakistan's nuclear arsenal "is primarily a deterrence mechanism" and "usage is a secondary thing".
Pakistan "is not very anxious" to use nuclear arms but sees the arsenal as necessary in "an imbalanced military relationship with our neighbours", he added.
The report said the official's remarks might slightly ease global concerns about Pakistani nuclear arms being detonated in any future conflict, "though plenty of potential hazards appear to remain".
It added that a "longtime worry" has been that Pakistani military units might be tempted to use battlefield nuclear weapons as a last resort. One possible scenario for such a move might be if Pakistani troops are in danger of being overwhelmed in any war with India, the report said.
India follows a policy of "no first use" as part of its nuclear doctrine but Pakistan does not.
