The Nuclear Noose Around Pakistan’s Neck

Romair

And if Pakistan did not have nukes, there is a chance that our names would be Ram Din, Hamid Mukharjee and Prem Hoodbhoy, not Allah Ditta, Hamidm or Pervez.


This is an idiotic comment. The number and percentage of Muslims in the Indian population has only grown over the past 55 years. The numbers of Hindus converting to islam is still huge (as much as the saffronists claim that conversion to islam happens only by the sword) and compared to that the number of muslims converting to hinduism is negligible, absolutely miniscule.

Even as a hyperbole to prove your point, this comment is demonstrative of your true feelings about Hindus. I don`t care how many concerts you go to.

And are you going to refuse to respond to my comments even on this thread?

41 Godot (Sorry for the delay in response , the floodgates of rhetoric have definately opened on this one)

What makes a country a responsible country?

In the current socio political environment, the very definition of a responsible country has changed. A government will be deemed responsible if it reacts positively to all the requests(orders) coming from the West. This is as much as we would like to deny the true fact of today. But if i really try to answer your answer your question succinctly, both India and Pakistan could have been different countries if we didnt have these nuclear ambitions. But all us wellwishers are just following Utopias. The fact is that our Nuclear capabilities just demonstrate the hate that overwhelms us and everything that we do as nations.
But dont you think that this will become merely a ``kitaabi Behas`` if we go down that route. What is the reality and what are we going to do about it. Now that the shite has hit the fan we need to bring justice to those who deserve it, thats step 1 in being responsible. Pakistan will truly become responsible if it gets its priority right. Education with introspection of what it means to be a Muslim today. Rooting out of corruption, working for the nation rather then ourselves. Where will you begin the reformist agenda from, where will you start it.

Thus my question to you is that in the current atmosphere of global war and hegemony by Super States can a Country be truly Responsible? These are manichean times. Picking sides are all the rage, the fact that sides are mere percieved boundaries is wasted upon us.


47 Tahmed

I did not call Hoobuoy a traitor. Infact I have always admired him for his tireless effort to fight against the causes of those who need help in Pakistan. I also admire him for the fact that when Brain Drain is the Modus operandi for the intellectuals and academics in Pakistan he has maintained his position of sticking with Pakistan and all its evils. Thus I cannot agree with Mantos view in Post 1. However what i Said in my earlier post and will repeat is that we should be mindful not to give ammo the wild dogs out there in the west waiting to tear pakistan apart if only through media at the moment. We need to be careful as to how we will deal with our internal problems and keep it internal. In light of this I disagree that he should have published this article in WP. Thats all that i contend.

The Government of Pakistan is ultimately responsible for nuclear proliferation.

It was a succession of govts in Islamabad that actively pursued making the bomb. It supervised the program & the scientists who worked for the program. The govt bears ultimate responsibility for the actions of their scientists.

Mind you, I`m not denying the right & necessity of Pakistan developing nuclear weapons capacity...esp in the light of India`s nuclear ambitions.

However, the issue here is PROLIFERATION.


From the US point of view Iran, Libya & N.Korea are ``rouge nations``--inimical to the interests & security of the US. If Pakistani...scientists or otherwise...were engaging in nuclear proliferation, its going to be viewed as one of the most dangerous threats to American security. Pakistani credibility has gone down the drain in US eyes.

Doesnt matter if Pakistan claims it was the ``individual`` acts of greedy scientists

---

duh!!!
The powers that be in Pakistan were so blind as to not know what these scientists are doing?! If the venerable Dr Khan charters a flight to N.Korea; the GoP assumes he`s going there for a vacation?! Gimme a break!!

Now, all of a sudden, there is a flurry of news about Dr Khan`s flamboyant wealth!
I think he`s just the FALL GUY....along with a few other scientists.

C`maan...who`s buying this crap?!

Romair,

{{The second moral is that Pakistan needs to get out of all this Ummah business. If that is why Iran was sold the secrets. I think it was probably more economical, than Ummah, since North Korea is not a part of the Ummah. But still. And keep an eye on Iran and others. They can`t do something themselves, so they turn to Pakistan. When Pakistan helps them, they turn Pakistan in. Didn`t they learn in kindergarten that one shouldn`t turn in the kid who helps you cheat on the exam.}}

Haha!!
You said it!!
Jeeze...the minute they are caught; the Iranians & Libyans finger Pakistan!!
What the HECK kind of ``friends`` are these?!!

Aw shucks, lemme tell you.... even we horrible hindoos make better friends than THAT!!

#80 by AlephNull on February 2, 2004 10:51pm PT

That was pure butter- thanks for the exposition!!

veeresh #86 That would certainly be the day: the admiral gorshkov is turned into disneyland. while we are on a roll, we could find better uses for all the other military junk accumulated in india and pakistan:

1. Military cargo planes converted to ship goods around (we are already doing that in Pakistan and so are a step ahead - aqkhan moved good solid pakistani furniture to his hotel in timbuctou.)

2. Jet fighters sold to some other suckers - Libyans are out. Iranians maybe (they will buy anything). Proceeds used to fund universal literacy. Unemployed fighter pilots sent to Nazar Hayat School for Civil Aviation.

3. Tanks melted down. Metal used to create prison bars for corrupt officials and politicans.

4. Militaries converted to maintenance crews responsible for keeping roads and public property in good repair.

5. Nukes turned into glow-in-the-dark sticks. Given as birthday gifts to religious extremists in both countries, thus expediting their departure to hell.

Something like that would certainly make sense.

gb #83 i am so glad to learn that indians can afford to spend billions to do (i.e. building a deep sea navy) what the russians tried and failed and what the chinese are not even bothering to do. I am more and more impressed by how wealthy india is - i bet every one of you is a seth.

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I think the Good Doctor is right when he says that it is highly unlikely that the Government will put Dr. A.Q. Khav von Bani Gala on trial. Such a trial will involve a collision with right wong religious and political parties (the Jamaat-e-Islami has already declared the 5th to be a strike day in protest against the interrogation and incarceration of nuclear scientists). Somewhere in the posts below, it was said that the unlikliness of a trial was due to Pakistan not being a signatory to non-proliferation agreements (as such, there would appear to be no law under which Dr. Khan von Bani Gala could be tried). However, I have heard that the Government is looking at the Official Secrets Act to see if they can use that legislation. I should point out that, under our Official Secrets Act, taking a photograph at the airport is a offence punishable with incarceration. I think it is wide enough to cover what Dr. A.Q von Bani Gala did. Imagine if he had sold secrets to the Israelis? That would have been a real laugh.

Oh, and Mantolives # 1: Poor show.

Regards,
Rafay Alam

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#87 sadna

[quote]
After years of India being threatened with Pakistan`s nukes, years of China helping along Pakistan`s nuclear and missile program in violation of treaties and years of the West winking at them all, prefering to moralise and sanction India instead, India`s 1998 decision to explode served to expose the longstanding hypocrisy of all parties.
[end-quote]

This is very important to understand for the indians. The 50 years of ``investment` by the USA (and later by China) in Pakistan should not be forgoten or misunderstood. What we have here is a nation ruled by military fixers and wheeler-dealers and empty-headed islamist nuts. And the west chose to support this astonishing conglomeration against a functioning democracy!!

If you read someone like Kissinger`s memoir`s his contempt and disgust for india (BTW, includes racist put-downs of hindu-buddhist tradtions!) is palpable. Correspondingly his interest in ``using`` Pakistan in any way possible approaches the level of an obsession.

However much cooperation takes place with the west, these lessons must not be forgotten. In the long run, both the US and UK will act against Indian interests in the region.

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