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 Nuclear
Proliferations of another day
India’s role
in illicit procurement and leakage of nuclear information.
[Capt (Retd)
S M HALI]
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The world of Islam has erupted like
a volcano, in protest at the sacrilegious mockery
of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May Peace be Upon Him)
published by Jyllands – Posten, a widely circulated
daily in Denmark. Soon after these despicable cartoons
were republished by newspapers in Norway, Germany,
Italy, Spain, New-Zealand, France and Poland. Despite
the worldwide protests by Muslims, other newspapers
in thirty countries had the temerity to reprint the
highly offensive cartoons. There is more to the prejudice
against Muslims in Denmark, and in other European
countries than hits the eye. The Western media knew
that by caricaturing Prophet Muhammad, who is the
architect of the Islamic faith and most revered prophet,
it would cause great pain and grief to the 1.5 billion
Muslims and could cause an upheaval of protest in
the Islamic world. Former foreign minister Abdul Sattar
has rightly stated that, "The Danish cartoonist
was vile and vicious. He drew the sacrilegious drawings
with malicious intent to wound Muslims where it hurt
most.”....more
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ORWELL’S 1984 REVISITED
The current trend in the west
fits the book of fiction.
[FAZAL HABIB CURMALLY]
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What is this mind-set that the West has and how
and where does the rest of the world fit in? Why is
it the West feels that they can push people and countries
about? Why is it they want the rest of the world to
think, act and become like they do? Population wise,
they are a minority. Theirs is a technological superiority
only. This is what I will be trying to address below.
The USA insists Iran is making nuclear
weapons but it does not explain how because all logic
tells us that if Iran had 200 centrifuges in place
and working, they would produce 5swu (separated work
units) or about 25 grams of bomb grade Uranium per
centrifuge in a year. At that rate it would be 5 kg
per year of bomb grade uranium and it would take about
4-5 years for Iran
to have enough highly enriched Uranium for a bomb.
The fact is the present Iranian cascade at Natantz
is 164 centrifuges only. In other words the Iranian
nuclear device is a long time coming, unless of course
Iran
starts increasing the number of centrifuges in the
cascade of centrifuges. This is something Iran
has not done so far.....more
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Iran’s Possible Riposte
Possible Iranian reaction to any
attack.
[Gp Capt (Retd) S M
HALI ]
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The Bush
administration has intensified planning for military
action against Iran. One of the options it is considering
involves the use of nuclear weapons. Respected investigative
journalist Seymour Hersh, who broke the story on
the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, makes the claim in
an article published in The New Yorker magazine
week April 10-15, 2006. Hersh says “the administration
has increased clandestine activities inside Iran
and has intensified planning for a possible major
air attack.” Hersh writes that current and
former American military and intelligence officials
have said Air Force planning groups are drawing
up lists of targets, and teams of American combat
troops have been ordered into Iran, under cover,
to collect targeting data and to establish contact
with anti-government ethnic-minority groups. The
officials say that President Bush is determined
to deny the Iranian regime the opportunity to begin
a pilot program, planned for this spring, to enrich
uranium. Iran insists that its research is for peaceful
use only, in keeping with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, and that it will not be delayed or deterred.
There is a growing conviction among members of the
United States military, and in the international
community, writes Hersh, that President Bush's ultimate
goal in the nuclear confrontation with Iran is regime
change. Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has
challenged the reality of the Holocaust and said
that Israel must be "wiped off the map."
Bush and others in the White House view him as a
potential Adolf Hitler, a former senior intelligence
official said. "That's the name they're using.
They say, 'Will Iran get a strategic weapon and
threaten another world war?'.....more
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Seeds of Indian Proliferation
the illicit trade in nuclear technology
[ADNAN GILL]
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A country indulges
in Nuclear Proliferation in one or two ways, as a
donor or as a recipient. As a donor it can export
the nuclear technology to another nation -- called
‘Horizontal Proliferation’ -- or it can
divert technologies from its Civilian Nuclear Program(s)
to its Military Nuclear Program(s) -- called ‘Vertical
Proliferation’. India is guilty of indulging
in both Vertical and Horizontal Nuclear Proliferation.
Horizontal Proliferation occurs when
a country exports its indigenous resources (knowledge/items)
and/or when it practices ‘Onward Proliferation’.
Onward proliferation takes place when a country obtains
a controlled item from overseas and retransfers it,
or exports a reverse-engineered item without proper
authorizations to a proliferant state or to a terrorist
group. Proliferant states and smuggling networks use
such tactics to avoid export controls in supplier
states. Experts like David Albright, President of
Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS),
believe proliferant states target Indian industries;
consequently, Indian Onward Proliferation is expected
to become a serious problem....more
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THE
MYTH OF INDIA’S “IMPECCABLE” NUCLEAR
NON-PROLIFERAION RECORD
India is not as
blameless as is generally portrayed.
[ADIL SULTAN]
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The
Indo-US Joint Statement of 18 July 2005 appreciated
India’s strong commitment to prevent WMD
proliferation and that “as a responsible
state with advanced nuclear technology;”
India should acquire the same benefits and advantages
as other such states. The Indian Prime Minster
on his part conveyed that “India would
refrain from transfer of enrichment and reprocessing
technologies to states that do not have them
and supporting international efforts to limit
their spread; and ensuring necessary steps have
been taken to secure nuclear materials and technology
through comprehensive export control legislation
and through harmonization and adherence to Missile
Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and Nuclear
Suppliers’ Group (NSG) Guidelines.”
Since the Joint Statement of July 18, 2005,
both Indian and the US officials were seen going
overboard to project India as a responsible
state having “impeccable” record
on non-proliferation of nuclear technology.
It was possibly aimed at achieving multiple
objectives. Firstly, to keep nuclear cooperation
country specific and deny the same advantages
to other countries, e.g. Pakistan, as it is
an old ally and expects similar treatment from
the US. Secondly; to build a plausible case
for the US Congress to adjust US laws. Third,
provide ostensible reasons for the NSG member
states to allow country-specific exception for
India, and finally, pacify the non-proliferationist
lobby, which has termed the proposed deal a
threat to global non-proliferation efforts.....more
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Emerging
Socio-Economic, Geo-Politics, and Geo-Strategies Conflicts
and Ties, between USA and China
Explores the various
differences between US and China
in their emerging relationship.
[SHAZIA MEHMOOD KHAN]
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Visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao
Chinese President Hu Jintao has completed
his US visit where he discussed many important issues
of trade, commerce, nuclear technology and other geo-strategic
issues with President Bush. Mr. Hu was especially
keen for this visit, his first to Washington since
he became Communist Party chief in 2002 and president
in 2003. It was obvious before his arrival at the
White House that nothing substantial could be achieved.
But such meetings between leaders of two powers are
necessary and helpful. The Chinese President Mr. Hu
Jintao also met with Bill Gates and executives from
Microsoft and Boeing Corp.
Political importance of the visit
(USA)
The approach of America's
mid-term elections in November is encouraging both
Democrats and Republicans to play to voters' concerns
about the threat China's
rapid economic rise is said to pose to American jobs.
Therefore, result-oriented bilateral dialogues were
supposed to be a political necessity.....more
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From
Gallipoli to Izmir (Smyrna)
The Mustafa Kemal campaign.
[M A GILANI]
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The last of the US armed forces
engaged in the relief effort in the wake of the
deadly earthquake that struck Pakistan on October
8, 2005, will be departing on March 31st. The United
States had responded promptly and swiftly in our
hour of distress and need by establishing a Combined
Disaster Relief Centre within 24 hours of the catastrophe.
The arrival of NATO troops for lending a similar
helping hand had, too, invoked unsavoury remarks
bordering apprehensions from some political corners
that they were here for good and would take over
the AJK for establishing a permanent base there.
Such thoughts were fed by them to the naïve
almost to the last - till the departure of NATO
forces. However, with the departure of the last
batch of US forces all those misplaced fears and
propaganda have been quelled.
Now that they are leaving, let’s
take a look at the work done by them. An analysis
of the systematic relief activities of the US forces
would reveal that they helped in all the needed
areas right from health related activities to the
transportation of the badly needed food and clothing
items, shelter and tents, evacuation of casualties
and wounded, training of the relief workers to cope
up effectively with the emergencies, etc.....more
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Ills
of Sustainable Economic Growth and its Expecetd Integrated
Consequences
Analyses how these affect
the economy.
[MEHMOOD-UL-HASSAN
KHAN]
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Economic achievements
No doubt the economy has made momentous progress
over the last four years. Structural reforms, meaningful
macroeconomic policies, strong financial discipline
and consistency and continuity in policies have
created new economic hypes in the country. Now,
Pakistan’s economy seems like a stable and resurgent
economy. The GDP was 5 per cent in 2002-03 and
accelerated to 8.4 per cent in 2004-05, its fastest
pace in two decade. Our per capita income has gone
up to $800. Two years ago it was $400.
Future
vision
Now, the government is planning
to achieve new ratios of GDP i.e. current GDP of
$104 billion to $700 billion and per capita income
from existing $780 to $3,000 by 2030. Federal Minister
for Commerce & Trade also claims to achieve
$100billion exports target in the next few years.
The Prime Minister is of the view that we can attract
$3 billion FDI in the current fiscal year. It is
seemed that there is good news everywhere in the
country, however many dangerous economic ills can
also been seen. Details are given below. In the
first half of FY2006, growth softened, but inflation
remained rather high and the balance-of-payments
deficit continued to widen....more
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