The new Afghan Policy announced by President of United States, Donald Trump has criticized Pakistan to ‘do more’ in War on Terror with a threat to cut financial aid, and resulted in intense debate among the political circles around the world. Amid the new economic and political opportunities in the international arena, Pakistan doesn’t seem to be convinced by the U.S. criticism.
Meanwhile, the former U.S. Senator Larry Pressler popularly known as ‘Delhi’s man in Washington’, last month in his opinion for the Hill, made illogical and inaccurate allegations on the safety and security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. Pressler wanted us to hallucinate a scenario based on pessimistic rhetoric of terrorism and unsecure nukes, which is unlikely to happen but a deliberate attempt to malign Pakistan.
Ignoring the very fact that the terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Islamic state are the creation of the U.S. policies. The U.S. administration in the 1970s and 1980s used the taxpayer money to create them to defeat Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the name of Jihad. Several former U.S. officials have admitted the provision. Like, veteran journalist Robert Dreyfuss documented in his excellent book ‘Devil’s Game’, and Steve Coll, a former Washington Post journalist in his book ‘Ghost Wars’ elaborates the relationship of CIA and the Afghan Mujahedin.
Further, Chalmers Johnson, professor emeritus at the University of California in San Diego, in his book ‘Dismantling the Empire: America’s Last Best Hope’, wrote in detail about the history quoting President Carter’s national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski.
How Brzezinski convinced Afghan Mujahedeen to fight a Holy War against Soviets is worth a read: “We know of [your] deep belief in God, and we are confident that [your] struggle will succeed. That land over there [Afghanistan] is yours. You will go back to it one day, because your fight will prevail and you’ll have your homes and your mosques back again, because your cause is right and God is on your side.”
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also accepted the bitter reality to Congress: “The people we are fighting today we funded 20 years ago. And we did it because we were locked in this struggle with the Soviet Union.” She further stated: “let’s be careful what we sow, because we will harvest. So we then left Pakistan. We said, “OK, fine. You deal with the Stingers that we’ve left all over your country. You deal with the mines that are along the border. And by the way, we don’t want to have anything to do with you. In fact, we’re sanctioning you.”
So, Pakistan has been a strategic ally of the U.S. for 70 years and no Pakistani military general even with dark money will attempt such foolish thing that former Senator has suspected.
On the security of its nukes, the U.S. State Department has consistently endorsed both, safety and security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. Likewise, the former U.S. President Barak Obama in 2009, showed confidence in the readiness of Pakistan’s strategic command forces to protect its nuclear weapons program.
Further, the Canadian military analysts‘ reported in 2009: “Security around Pakistan’s nuclear weapons is ‘credible’ and the threat of them falling into the hands of terrorists or rogue army commanders is remote.” Moreover, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also on several occasions applauded the Pakistan’s serious approach and impressive nuclear security record, spanning over four decades.
Even the former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor in 2009, acknowledged the Pakistan’s measures and actions towards securing its nuclear weapons program. None of these are Pakistani claims, but the recognition of Pakistan’s behavior as a responsible nuclear state around the world. However, the former Senator has just an over exaggerated and fictional story to back his claims, merely to spread false propaganda.
Instead, work must be done to pass another amendment to recover the 32 Broken Arrow cases of the United States. Along with disarming Indian nuclear weapons program, as there are numerous reports produced by reputable institutions fearing dangerous outcomes from involvement of Indian government illicit nuclear trade and poor Indian safety and security.
So, let’s reasonably imagine this: One of the Broken Arrows currently hidden in the rusty trucks inside Indian illicit trade market, is sold to bomb supply chain of one of the Indian backed terrorist organizations like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State (IS) by Indian firms and military officers with rogue missions like Kulbhushan Yadav. It could very easily destroy not only one of the cities in the U.S., Israel or UK but anywhere in the world.
Certainly, it should keep the U.S. leadership up at night because the closer relationship with India, most favored ally in the world, could result in global nuclear terrorism and further U.S. policy failures.
