was pakistan missiles Pakistan's senior nuclear scientist, Abdul Qadir Kahn, has said the country could create nuclear warheads which could be fitted to missiles within a matter of days, should the need arise.

At the same time, he said Pakistan's nuclear capability had not enhanced the risks of nuclear war -- but was in a sense a guarantor of peace because both countries knew the likely scale of the devastation that it could create.

Mr Khan, who oversaw Pakistan's six nuclear tests, was speaking after he and his team received a heroes' welcome on their return to Islamabad from the test sites in Baluchistan.

The tests have been strongly condemned by the United Nations Security Council.