On 28 May and 30 May, 1998, Pakistan carried out six successful nuclear blasts by a team of nuclear scientists in Chaghi ranges of Balochistan. This was of course in response to India’s five nuclear explosions carried out on 11 and 13 May, 1998.
Ever since our successful nuclear explosions, all the Western powers, especially the USA, started a campaign to neutralise our nuclear capabilities and made our life difficult like imposing sanctions, stopping various aid programmes etc. After the incident of 9/11, the USA got an excuse of chasing terrorists in the Islamic countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan and moved their troops in these countries along with their intelligence net work. For reasons best known to the government, the rulers are quiet on all such activities and fighting a war against unknown enemy on the pretext of war against terrorism as dictated by the USA.
Pakistan has become a 7th nuclear state on the globe and hence it should behave like a nuclear power. The nuclear states don’t go begging around the world and don’t receive the leaders of western powers as if we are criminals. The case in point is the recent visit of Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state and Admiral Mike Mullen of the USA.
If we had downed the first drone attacking our areas, the USA or NATO forces would not have dared come again in our sovereign territories. Similarly, if we had prosecuted the insurgents of Balochistan with wide publicity of Indian involvement who have been providing them funds and weapons, no power would have dared to come into our areas.
MUHAMMAD AZHAR KHWAJA
Lahore
