Pakistan As A Responsible Nuclear Power

Contributing Editor Air Marshal (Retd) AYAZ AHMAD KHAN exposes the behind the screen plotting of India against Pakistan.

On 11th and 13th May 1998 India shocked the world, especially Pakistan by conducting five nuclear tests at Pokhran. Indian nuclear tests had unsettled the strategic balance in South Asia, and threats to seize Azad Kashmir, and cut Pakistan to size aggravated Pakistan’s endangered security. The government acted with due responsibility, and sought advice of world leaders, urging them to restrain India. Arab and Islamic countries, China and Japan expressed deep concern, but the response of the West was vacuous, and pro-India. The policy to appease India, ineffective sanctions imposed on New Delhi, was part of the conspiracy to build India as a nuclear power to contain China and corner Pakistan. West’s support to India was to stoke its ambitions for big power status, full membership of the nuclear club, and of the UN Security Council.

The six Pakistani nuclear tests were conducted after 17 days of hesitation on May 28 and 30. It was a fitting but an expensive response to Indian nuclear intimidation. The world reaction was swift against Pakistan. The hoax of Islamic bomb is a self-created nightmare for the West, while the Indian nukes are “smiling Bhuddas” for them. Criticism and sanctions since have greatly hurt Pakistan economically and diplomatically. The unwise decision after the tests to freeze forex brought investment to a halt. The economy since has been in a spin.

The truth is that the decision to go nuclear was unavoidable because an explosive situation was created by the Indian nuclear blasts and threats of aggression. After announcing a dangerous nuclear doctrine India has allocated huge sums in addition to the 28.2 percent defence budget increase to create a powerful triad, and build its missile and nuclear arsenal. Pakistan during the same period has reduced its defence budget, but continued its nuclear and missile programmes and established a command and control authority for assured security. Pakistan’s minimum deterrence is to forestall Indian limited war and nuclear threats. Pakistan since has repeatedly assured the world of nuclear restraint and cooperation. Unfortunately the West has not understood Pakistan’s compulsions to go nuclear.

Washington has kept Pakistan under intense pressure and has kept a close watch on Pak nuclear and missile installations by electronic spying and satellite snooping. US space monitors and sensors and aerial spying through Russian supplied AWACs to India seriously threatens the security and confidentiality of Pakistani nuclear installations. The startling NBC revelation that “Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is vastly superior to that of India with five times the nuclear warheads”, is planned disinformation. After two years of US spying Pentagon claims that “Pakistan has thirty nuclear warheads with far more capability to use them”. “That Pakistan has 25 to 100 nuclear warheads, and Pakistan is more capable than India of delivering nuclear payloads.... Indian nuclear and missile programme is not as advanced as the Pak’s ballistic missile programme”. General Zinni Commander US Central Command confirms this by stating that, “India had an edge over South Asian strategic balance were questionable assumptions at best. Do not assume that Pakistan’s nuclear capability is inferior to that of India’s”. Another Pentagon official has said that, “Pakistan’s nuclear capability may be better, with more weapons and more capability. India understands that it is behind, and is moving to address its short comings”. Pakistan aware of its resource and conventional military limitations, had to concentrate on developing a balanced minimum deterrent. This nuclear deterrent comprises short range HATF missiles, medium range Shaeen I and Ghauri I ballistic missiles, and intermediate range Ghauri II and Ghaznavi IRBM’s. Pakistani leaders are aware that there cannot be new Kargils, and a nuclear exchange could cause 150 million deaths in both the countries i.e. three times the casualties in WW II. Pakistan is doing everything to avoid this. Pakistan has already offered no first use of nukes and on June 11 the CE offered no first use of conventional arms to India.

After the Pakistani nuclear tests at Chagai, India’s BJP government and hawks cooled-off. The strategic balance was restored. Pakistan’s security and sovereignty was secured. Pakistan, now on could not be pushed around by New Delhi. Pakistan wishing to live in peace with India immediately extended its hand of friendship for durable concord to India. Prime Minister Vajpayee’s February 22 visit to Lahore, promised to find an equitable solution of the Kashmir problem, and with the signing of The Lahore Declaration, it was hoped that a new chapter of peace would begin. But on February 23, 1999 i.e. the very next day on reaching New Delhi Vajpayee resiled from all his commitments on Kashmir made a day earlier at Lahore. Backtracking from the Lahore Declaration, massive concentration of Indian troops in Kashmir and enhanced brutalities caused frustration and anger in Kashmir and in Pakistan. In May 1999 Kashmiri freedom fighters retaliated and occupied 161 mountain tops in Kargil area. This led to furious battles in the Kargil, Dras and Batalik sectors. The bloody outcome for the Indian Army and for the Kashmiri Mujahidin created a dangerous situation which could have resulted in nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan. It is fortunate that it did not happen. President Clinton intervened, and frightened Nawaz Sharif dashed to Washington to sign the humiliating and damaging Washington Declaration on 4 July 1999. India used Kargil to malign Pakistan. Vajpayee and Jaswant Singh schemed to turn Kashmir’s freedom struggle into Pakistan sponsored terrorism in Occupied Kashmir. India has succeeded in putting Pakistan on the back foot on Kargil, Kashmir and terrorism. Pakistan must continue with its resolute diplomacy and convince the world that Kargil was caused by Indian genocidal policies and human right violations in Kashmir. CE’s appeal to India for reciprocity of response is in order.

The military government has wisely soft pedalled the CTBT, FMCT and NPT demands from Washington, London and Tokyo, by assurances of developing concensus on these contentious issues. Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar initiated a campaign for developing public concensus on the CTBT issue. Western critics have been assured that Pakistan would not carry further tests, but could not sign the above treaties unless India signed them first. The West is being continually assured that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear power and has created a highly reliable command and control apparatus to ensure that its nuclear and missile assets are under error free guaranteed control. Statements by General Pervez Musharraf, Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, and Omar Asghar Khan who heads four ministries are conciliatory and accommodative of global concerns on the nuclear proliferation and environmental issues.

Responsible Pakistanis realize that another Kargil could trigger nuclear exchange and havoc beyond repair in South Asia. General Musharraf has stressed that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear power with no big power status ambitions. He seeks friendship with all countries of the world and peace in the region. Pakistan has officially denied that its nuclear arsenal was more sophisticated and larger than of India. But while assuring the world that Pakistan seeks peace, it must keep its guard up by maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent capability. The NBC report confirms this capability.

General Pervez Musharraf’s assurance through CNN that, “Pakistan’s nuclear programme is under excellent command and control, and that Pakistan is a very responsible state”, must be endorsed by all. He said that, “We have brought all our nuclear assets under full command and control arrangements. We are committed to adhering to international regimes whether it is CTBT, FMCT, NPT or the restraint part of the regimes. We are committed to this and we stand by it. Our nuclear programme aims at maintaining minimum nuclear deterrence. We have no aspirations of any kind of world and regional status. Our deterrence is only for our defence.” These honest declarations must be accepted on its face value by all world leaders. Musharraf is upfront about the fact that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear power, and that he is fully conscious of his nuclear responsibility. He assured the global community with utmost honesty by saying, “I feel extremely responsible. People of Pakistan and its leadership is extremely conscious of this responsibility. Pakistan was not entering into any nuclear race with India. We are maintaining only minimum deterrence capability. I am very satisfied with the command and control arrangements. And we will discharge this duty (command and control of nuclear weapons) sincerely”. In an interview on June 10 to Italian daily La-Republica Musharraf said.” Pakistan is a very responsible state. We are not a fundamentalist republic. Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities do not present an international threat because Pakistan is a very responsible state.

Pakistan developed nuclear weapons in response to the nuclear threat posed by India. Pakistan’s security was gravely threatened. Now that we have the bomb our policy will be strictly controlled.”