The Nuclear Noose Around Pakistan’s Neck

Hip hip hurray.

Post # 300 (tripple century, sort of a milestone) was reached by an excellent, excellent, excellent post from Ijaz_Gul.

Ram teri Ganga Meli or iss Meli ganga main sabb nangay hain

I normally don`t do this, but with due apologies I am copying and pasting News` editorial for only an easy read of the Chowkies. For days to come, Chowkies should hold their breaths for names of other European countries and underworld from across the globe, including India.

IAEA’s probe

The investigation launched by the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) into the Europe specific nuclear black market will strengthen Pakistan’s case that the vast illicit market in Europe dealing in nuclear components needs to be mainly blamed for proliferation. President Pervez Musharraf had repeatedly pointed in this direction as it was unfair to blame any country when there already was a thriving clandestine nuclear market. IAEA’s probe, therefore, admits to a reality that had long been overlooked by the western countries in their zeal to blame states, Pakistan specially.

The IAEA’s letter to European governments seeking information regarding illegal transfer of nuclear technology to the so-called ‘rogue states’ should provide necessary information about the European individuals and firms. This information would be used by the Authority’s investigators as evidence of their involvement in trafficking of nuclear components to Iran and Libya. While this measure needs to be welcomed it does raise a question as to why the United Nations nuclear watchdog organisation did not exploit the information it already had before it started pointing a finger of guilt at Pakistan. In fact, The News’ European correspondent quoted sources as that ‘the IAEA is already in possession of some preliminary information about these European companies which will lead to further investigation into the affairs of some German, British, Dutch and French companies known for their dealings with Urenco, the European consortium which first designed nuclear enrichment.’ IAEA’s investigation aims at identifying the real culprits in the scandal in Europe.

It is to be seen to what extent will the Authority be ready to go in admitting its errors in wholly blaming Pakistan when it was already aware of the nuclear scandal extant in European. However, what will be still more important is that will the IAEA publicly reprimand those European states whose companies it finds were involved in illicit nuclear technology transfers in the manner it did while dealing with Pakistan’s involvement as alleged by Iran and Libya. There is urgent need to clear some of the confusion and reduce the level of alleged guilt.

It is unfortunate that the IAEA became cognisant to the massive nuclear black market in Europe only after Pakistan had raised the issue. The Authority’s chief Mohamad El Baradei has admitted that ‘considerable light on the global network has come from the IAEA’s verification of nuclear programmes of Iran and Libya.’ The point is that if it is open season for blaming states for involvement in the dirty business of proliferation then the nuclear watchdog must also drag the names of European states whose corporate sector’s hands were tainted. It might be recalled when the UN inquiry commission started probing Iraq’s secret weapons programme after the Desert War, the trail lead to several well known European and even American suppliers. The present nuclear scandal is not much different.

:-)

> so that you go through the Eco course in first year, where they use a Samuelson textbook.

That helped me not a whit. I am as clueless now about economics as I was then.

I have followed Hoodbhoy`s pacificm in Pakistan for a very long time. He is indeed an avid PACIFIST and entiltled to his views but ought to also understand the meaning of independence. It ends where the other`s nose begins.
Just when this fiasco had just begun to unravel, I saw Hoodbhoy on a TV show hell bent on convincing that Pakistan as a State and Establishment were knee deep in Proliferation. Well there may be many who may think so but why damage the image of your country in the name of Value Neutrality. His solo in an internationally realist paradigm will neither do good to him nor to the motherland. It would have been more admirable if he had provided guidelines and inputs on how Pakistan should get out of this TWISTER.

I for one feel that the Government of Pakistan by admitting that its program was covert has taken a very bold stand. Declaring that the program is now ouvert means that Pakistan has commited itself to non proliferation rules of the game and hence scrutiny, which in any case was always there.

Perhaps many doomsday psuedos miss the point that Dr. Khan`s sole responsibility was enrichment and not weaponisation. That role was played by an entirely different organisation under the PAEC. Ouvert declaration perhaps also implies that Pakistan has also mastered the PU route and is now self sufficient. There was a big message when the President said that our capability has moved beyond the Minimum Deterrence.

I agree that the case is not closed and there will be tremendous pressure on Pakistan in the days to come. There will be caliberated, covert and coercive attemts to tame the Tiger. We as a nation will have to stand to it and not melt way like Saddam, Iran and Libya. I feel that given that Pakistan demonstrate responsibility and firmness on proliferation, route out of the woods would not be afar.

jay #292 you are misrepresenting my views on Qadeer - where do i call Qadeer a hero? Indeed, i think he has done grave damage not just in terms of making the world a more dangerous place through nuclear proliferation, but in terms of jeopardizing what i (as a pakistani) consider to to be the sacred cause of the defense of pakistan as well. And all this for purposes of increasing his personal wealth!! His apology is as hollow as is musharaff`s pardon.

Please criticize me for what I say. Not for views I oppose = you merely weaken your arguments when you are not careful with sticking to the facts.

It never ceases to amaze me how low we can stoop whilst playing this one-upmanship game that is countinually repeated at chowk.
Pakistan V. India is, as usual the constant theme-rerun below each and every article.
For example- gujjubania has more than 200+ anti pakistani posts to his credit, but not a single article, his contribution to chowk is limited to engaging in mind-bogglingly inane posts. Indeed, there are many more like him, on both sides.
dont you guys have anything else better to do?

foutainheader
(ayn rand?)
``North Korea is not being attacked because it has nukes that will blow Korea, Japan and Taiwan to smithereens if USA does something. ``

NK, although rattles its sabres, is known as real weak, and not sponsoring any problems for the US dierectly. Even close neighbor japan or SK does not face any present problems (e.g. terrorism). Unlike middle-eastern counties, NK is unlikely to cause problems in status quo of world energy markets. That is why US is happy to contain it. Its not the nukes.

Fountain Header:#279, GOOD POST.

TNT minds,

tahmed is a classic example of the TNt mind. He knows that khan is a pak hero because he created the bomb, he has given pakistan a means to prosecute the doctrine of jihad under mushroom clouds. There is no considerations for the personal qualities, he made the hbomb consstant with the TNT. Abdus salam also was a great scientist, but his achieve,menys wre not consistant with TNT, he was not a muslim, no one in pakistan honours him, the ere is no laboratory named after him, while khan gets a lab.

Tahmed can only think in TNT terms, abdul kalam is made prsident because he made the missile. He can only extrapolate in his own terms, in TNT terms. He3 cannot recognise the human qualities, he cannot even imagine that very simple man, never married, always wore sandals till he became president, a non corruptible man could becom the president of india. It is the most disgusting m,anifestation of TNT mind that prompts comparison of khan with abdul kalam.

mantolives, aka YLH, post 281

heard of fiction. That book is a piece of fiction and not an academic book. He is trying to be another lecarre - hey who knows guys like you and tahmed32 will make him one - since you guys are the ones who seem to be more excited about it than your average ram in india.

dear boy get those grey cells working - rethoric is fine but occasionally it makes look like a fool that you really are not!

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Nasah at 278:

``poor mr. musharraf...... ``

Would you please elaborate on your prophetic statement?

Emotionalism on part of Pakistanis and extremism on part of Chowk`s resident fundoo Indoos aside, the news from the daily News closes the chapter and lays out a promising future for Pakistan as follows:

ISLAMABAD: President General Parvaiz Musharraf has pardoned Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan on the recommendations of the Federal cabinet.

Earlier, the Federal cabinet, accepting the clemency application, recommended to President General Parvaiz Musharraf for pardoning the originator of the Pakistani nuclear programme, in view of his services rendered by Dr. Khan for the nation
The cabinet, which met in Islamabad with Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali in the chair, thoroughly debated over the clemency application with regard to the transfer of atomic technology.

President Musharraf also informed newsmen that the atomic programme won’t be rolled back at any cost. The president said that Dr. Qadeer Khan was a national hero and he personal take him in high esteem, however national interests were more important than any individual. General Parvaiz Musharraf maintained that Dr. Qadeer was directly monitoring the Nuclear proliferation and a total of 11 persons were involved which include seven scientists.

Musharraf accepted the scientist`s plea for mercy after he admitted the leaks in a televised apology.

``There`s a written appeal from his side and there`s a pardon written from my side,`` Musharraf said at a news conference. On Thursday, Musharraf said he had sought to balance Pakistan`s domestic interests and international demands that proliferation activities be brought to light.

``Whatever I have done, I have tried to shield him,`` Musharraf said of Kahn, a national hero. But the president said ``one has to balance between international requirements and shielding.``

``You cannot shield a hero and damage the nation,`` he said.

Musharraf refused to give further details about the pardon, a decision that he said was made on the recommendation of the National Command Authority _ which controls the country`s nuclear assets _ and the Cabinet. Asked about Khan`s motives, Musharraf said: ``What is the motive of people? Money, obviously. That`s the reality.``

He said Pakistan wouldn`t submit to any U.N. supervision of its weapons program, and that no documents would be handed over to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. He also ruled out an independent investigation of the military`s role in proliferation.

However, he said the IAEA was welcome to come and discuss the proliferation issue with Pakistan. ``We are open and we will tell them everything,`` Musharraf said.

The president reiterated Thursday there was no official involvement in proliferation. ``The reality is that the government is not involved and that the military is not involved,`` Musharraf said. ``It`s only the media that are saying this.

`` In order to become a nuclear power and address the imbalance of military power with rival India, Musharraf said Pakistan had needed people like Khan _ who operated covertly from the 1970s until the country`s first public nuclear test in 1998. ``In the covert period there was autonomy,`` Musharraf said. Khan was tasked to do something and he did it. One could not be that intrusive in case what you desired was not accomplished,`` he said.

Pakistan began its investigation in November after Iran told the U.N. nuclear watchdog it obtained nuclear technology from Pakistan.

An add from my side``: The President`s honesty can be determined from his outright `Khiraj-e-Tahseen` to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto on starting the nuclear program.

gujjubania

Everything is fair if done keeping the country`s interest in mind . In my very humble way , I have tried to do that.

Even if one puts down your ``humble`` use of vulgarity to your overenthusiastic patriotism, your repeated insistence in quoting Purchasing Power Parity figures and extrapolating the Q3-FY04 8.4% growth shows your limited knowledge of macroeconomics. And your arrogant persistence shows your unwillingness to learn the right thing.

I hope you get into an IIT, so that you go through the Eco course in first year, where they use a Samuelson textbook.

Maybe you will learn that a GDP of $500 billion growing at 6.5-7% is quite impressive as well. And you shouldn`t quote the 3-trillion-ppp figure especially while referring to defence purchases.

Refsadna #258

[I remember a Burmese colleague describing a (then) Burma-China face off at their borders. He said it didnot matter how hard the Burmese fought and how many Chinese soldiers they killed. They were so overwhelmingly outnumbered by the Chinese that all the Chinese had to do to invade the country was simply walk over the border.]

They already have done that. The Burmese government`s writ doesn`t run all over the country and the border areas with China are peopled by various rebellious tribes anyway. The Chinese (civilians) have settled in large numbers in border villages and towns and there is no way they are going to be dislodged.

All countries bordering China are stupid for not to have secured their borders first. The first order of business for the Chinese was to reach the border and start nibbling -- as India found out in Aksai Chin. It is stupid to dismiss the area as a wasteland ``where not a blade of grass grows`` as Indira Gandhi once said. Who knows what mineral deposits are there that might be worth billions?

As usual, Indians have missed the boat. When it was known that China was feeding nuclear weapons know-how to Pakistan, India should have delivered similar data to the Taiwanese, totally frustrating Chinese ambitions to take over Taiwan by hook or crook. Instead, the stupid Indian government played by the rules of the West (which of course is conveniently changed to suit the times) and did not proliferate. If Taiwan had the bomb now, Japan and South Korea would have developed the bomb by now and we would have some tamasha in China`s northern border. If there is one thing the Chinese fear, it is a re-armed Japan.

Now it is going to be well nigh impossible to pay the frikkin Chinese back in their own coin. At least the Pakistanis tried and I for one am thankful that the Pakistanis did what the Indians didn`t have the guts for.