Game of propaganda

India has been a frontline vocalist against the nuclear assets of Pakistan, be it any news either of security of nuclear weapons or proliferation somehow India gets involved in the campaign. Talking particularly about the tactical nuclear weapons, India is trying its level best to influence the opinions by promoting a perception that thousands of Pakistan might get killed if Pakistan ever used TNS. The taboo that Americans were successful to create may be broken if India kept adopting the aggressive polices along with the increase in its nuclear arsenals. If we compare the nuclear accidents that happened in past decades, then one comes to know that it’s only India which has most unsafe nuclear weapons among all the nuclear states of the world. The 28 separatist movements which are getting more and more intense with the passage of time are the biggest threat to the nuclear sites which India has in those states where separatists have more control then the Indian government.

International media forums have been chanting against Dr Khan and its network for the proliferation of nuclear arsenals but they always forget that two Indian scientists were put on a ban list by USA after they were prime culprits in the nuclear proliferation to Iran and North Korea. Pakistan has been a very much vulnerable for such kind of allegations because of the internal issues which it has been facing from the terrorist organizations and also from the proxies planted by its enemies. American Analyst Bruce Reidal has been very active in telling the world about the vulnerabilities of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons which may go in the hands of the violent non state actors but the international nonprofit organisations which release reports about the safety of nuclear sites have ranked India on 23^rd out of 24 states and Pakistan’s position is way better than India, North Korea and Iran.

Although Pakistan is not signatory of NPT but still it doesn’t believe in nuclear proliferation, it has a strong command and control system which makes its nuclear arsenals safe and secure. Pakistan may not be politically stable but it has never compromised on the safety and security of its nuclear sites. India wants to gain hegemony in the region that’s why it is making nuclear deals and signing different agreements with different states increase its nuclear arsenal. Smaller nuclear weapons make it easier to decide to wage a limited nuclear war if Islamabad considers it is being defeated in a conflict with India’s much larger conventional armed forces; and such weapons can be specifically targeted on, say, invading Indian military formations, raising the ante for an all-out nuclear war.

QASIM MEHMOOD QURESHI

Islamabad