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Summary
US and UK diplomats feared Pakistan's nuclear material could fall into the hands of terrorists, the latest leaked classified US diplomatic cables reveal. The documents, released by Wikileaks, warn that Pakistan is rapidly building its nuclear stockpile despite the country's growing instability. There is also scepticism about whether Pakistan could cut links with militants. There is no chance ... for abandoning support for these groups, said then-US ambassador Anne Patterson. The Pakistan government, she added, saw militant groups as an important part of its national security apparatus against India. In one of the latest cables to be released by Wikileaks, senior UK Foreign Office official Mariot Leslie told US diplomats in September 2009 that Britain had deep concerns about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. In another cable seven months earlier, Ms Patterson told Washington: Our major concern is not having an Islamic militant steal an entire weapon but rather the chance someone working in government of Pakistan facilities could gradually smuggle enough material out to eventually make a weapon. Another cable concerning a US intelligence briefing in 2008 said: Despite pending economic catastrophe, Pakistan is producing nuclear weapons at a faster rate than any other country in the world. The US also expressed concern about tensions between the powerful Pakistani army and President Asif Ali Zardari.
