But in a BBC interview the Foreign Minister, Gohar Ayub Khan, said the weapons would be entirely defensive.

Pakistan's foreign minister says they took all necessary precautions

The government strongly denied reports that it's preparing to arm its long-range Ghauri missiles with nuclear warheads. It said the report had originated in a Pakistani newspaper and was patently wrong.

There have been conciliatory remarks from both Islamabad and Delhi. Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee told parliament that India did not intend to join an arms race despite its own nuclear tests earlier this month.

He said Pakistan faced no threat from India.

Fresh condemnation of tests

BBC correspondent Ben Brown reports on the nuclear rivalry on the subcontinent

The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned Pakistan's actions tests. A UN statement called on India and Pakistan to sign the nuclear non-proliferation and test ban treaties and to resume talks between them.

The American ambassador to the UN, Bill Richardson, said it was critically important that tensions were reduced.

US officials say President Clinton has spoken to the Chinese President, Jiang Zemin, about ways of keeping the situation under control.

The US and Japan have led international moves to impose sanctions on Pakistan, similar to those applied to India after its own nuclear tests.

State of emergency

Earlier the Pakistani cabinet met to discuss the economic consequences of the nuclear tests.

A key concern is the imposition of sanctions by major aid donors, including the US and Japan, which will cost Pakistan billions of dollars.

BBC Correspondent in Islamabad Owen Bennett-Jones: 'Pakistan has not said the programme is over'

Immediately after the tests on Thursday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nazwaz Sharif told the nation that the imposition of sanctions will cause difficulties for Pakistan.

Prime ministerial warnings came immediately

A state of emergency has been declared which will enable the government to introduce austerity measures without the risk of court challenges.

Restrictions have already been imposed on foreign exchange transactions, and banks are closed today to prevent the withdrawal of deposits.

Pakistan's information minister has said the state of emergency does not mean that the army will be on the streets, but he was unable to say how long it will last.