Ambassador (r) Qazi Humayun said that despite the fact that development and use of chemical-biological weapons (CBW) has been prohibited by international conventions, Pakistan needs to develop a contingency plan, especially considering the vulnerable civilian population, so that it is not taken by surprise in case of a CBW attack.
He said this while chairing a session at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) on “Chemical-Biological Weapons and Pakistan”, which featured a presentation by Dr. Tughral Yamin from National Defence University.
A number of technical aspects related to the definition of chemical and biological weapons, international enforcement regimes as well as domestic security and safety mechanisms came under discussion. A select gathering of scientists, security experts, academics, government officials, diplomats and students of defence studies and nuclear sciences attended the session, which was moderated by Air Commodore (r) Khalid Iqbal, member of IPS-National Academic Council, and was also addressed by DG-IPS Khalid Rahman. Humayun said that there were weaknesses in the international conventions on chemical and biological weapons as they could not stop a country if it started making such weapons without declaring them.
He said that even though Pakistan strictly abides by international conventions on the elimination of chemical and biological weapons, the safety measures and mechanisms against such threats needed to be enhanced. The Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) could only monitor those facilities and stockpiles that were declared by the State, while any secret facility could not be monitored by this specialized international agency.
He said, “Such discrepancies and lapses in the international regime have to be tackled with.”
Discussing the level of preparedness and nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) warfare defence capabilities of Pakistan, the main speaker Dr Tughral Yamin said that all conventional and strategic units of the armed forces of Pakistan were equipped with NBC equipment, regular training programs and adequate training facilities. The decontamination capability however was limited and needed to be further developed. Since these weapons could cause massive deaths and long term damage it was important to protect the civilian population from NBC hazards. He suggested taking certain measures for safeguarding the civilian population against chemical biological threats through awareness, training and provision of necessary infrastructure. He suggested that the National Disaster Management Agency should develop contingency plans and capabilities at all levels. He said, “The first respondents like civil defence, police, fire brigade and medics must have proper understanding of the threat and training to react properly.”
The speaker informed the audience that the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention aimed at the elimination of the entire category of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological weapons, yet these weapons were so simple in design and cheap in manufacturing, assembling and delivering that many countries were tempted into continuing some sort of production and retention of these weapons, at least on small scale.
Dr. Yamin said that the chemical and biological weapons fall under the definition of weapons of mass destruction, not merely because of the immediate and direct damage caused but also because of severe damage to the environment and ecology which persists for years and at times for generations.
He narrated a number of historic incidents in which chemical and biological weapons were used and maintained that despite international conventions banning the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer or use of these weapons with an active enforcement mechanism, the threat of chemical and biological weapons was always imminent. In modern history, gas attacks had been used by Germans against the Allied Forces while US had used 20 million gallons of herbicides in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam in 1961. The effects of the US attack were so drastic and prolonged that recently US had to commit USD 43 million for environmental remediation in Vietnam.
The presentation stimulated an intellectual discussion on various aspects of the issue. It was highlighted that there was evidence that heavy bombardment by the United States in Afghanistan carried radioactive chemicals which were not merely killing people but also inflicting severe damage to health, soil, water and plantation in the area. “The number of skin diseases in areas adjoining Afghanistan is increasing due to use of depleted uranium in bombs and artillery being used by the US and NATO forces,” one participant observed. “The food items being imported or smuggled from Afghanistan need to be screened for radioactive materials”, another cautioned.
A participant mentioned unethical practices of pharmaceutical giants and GM food corporations employing biotechnology and genetic engineering for commercial gains, which if not regulated properly by the governments could cause irreversible damage to public health, indigenous crops and arable lands. Another participant explained the Islamic viewpoint on the issue mentioning that among the explicit directives given by Prophet Muhammad to the commanders of various military expeditions he sent, was not to poison wells and water reservoirs.
