Pakistan's nuclear command structure has been placed under the control of the military-dominated National Command Authority, headed by President Pervez Musharraf.

This is in contrast to India, where the control is with the civilian authority headed by prime minister.

The NCA, which includes Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, is authorised to take a 'unanimous decision' for using nuclear weapons. The decision is not with Musharraf or any individual, Pakistani daily Dawn said.

NCA officials briefed Jamali, Musharraf and Foreign Minister Khurshid Mohammed on the country's nuclear command structure on Monday. Barring Jamali and Kasuri, everyone who attended the briefing was from the armed forces.

"The NCA has ensured that while our nuclear assets and strategic forces are completely safe and secure, they continue to develop as per our minimum deterrence needs," a statement quoted Jamali as saying after the briefing.

"We are not in any arms race with anyone, but retention of minimum deterrence is a cornerstone of Pakistan's National Security Policy," he said.

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