MOSCOW, June 17 (RIA Novosti) - Pakistan's nuclear arsenal poses a greater threat to security in the region than Iran's uranium enrichment, due to the volatile political situation in the country, a Russian expert said on Tuesday.

"The main and most serious threat to the region is not Iran or Israel [and their alleged nuclear weapons], but Pakistan [and its existing nuclear arsenal]," said Sergei Karaganov, chairman of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy.

The situation in Pakistan has seriously deteriorated following the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto last year. Opponents of President Pervez Musharraf won elections in February and have called for the president to step down.

However, Pakistan has repeatedly dismissed comments by Western media that the country's nuclear weapons could end up in the hands of terrorists due to the current volatile political situation in Pakistan.