This day, fourteen year ago, emotionally charged voices of the team of nuclear
scientists’ conducting the nuclear test in Chagi chanted ‘Naara-e- Takbeer,
Allah-o- Akbar’. This was a declaration that hence forth Pakistan is a declared
nuclear weapon capable state. Resource starved Pakistan had no ambition to go
nuclear, but was compelled to do so.
India exploded its first nuclear device in 1974 under the guise of ‘Peaceful
Nuclear Explosion. Thenceforth, India was a defacto nuclear power. Explosion was
made possible through illegitimate diversion of fissile material from a civilian
nuclear power plant provided to India by Canada. Event occurred shortly after
the fall of Dhaka. It triggered survival instinct amongst the strategist
community of Pakistan. Already faced with India’s overwhelming conventional
military superiority, Pakistan was indeed pushed against the wall, left with no
other choice but to develop a matching nuclear deterrent to ward off future
Indian threats. Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto declared: “Pakistanis will
eat grass but make a nuclear bomb”. Pakistan’s need for nuclearization was
essentially security driven. Nation joyfully ate grass, and gleefully made the
bomb.
Possession of nuclear weapons served the intended purpose; India has ever
since been kept at bay despite temptations for military adventurism. Western
attitude towards Pakistan’s nuclear programme was out rightly discriminatory; it
attached religious shade to Pakistan’s bomb by calling it an ‘Islamic bomb’.
Earlier, one had never heard of a Christian, a Communist, a Jewish or a Hindu
bomb. The approach was myopic; rhetoric was a smoke screen to portray Islam as a
synonym of aggression and mobilize support from vested interests to demonize
Pakistan’s legitimate necessity. And then came the God-sent opportunity.
On 11 May 1998, Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee stunned the world by
announcing that India had conducted three nuclear tests. Two days later, two
additional tests were carried out. Dr. Samar Mubarakmand gave a technical
assessment of India’s tests on behalf of the PAEC. He opined that there had been
only one successful test on 11 May, and if a thermonuclear device had been fired
then it had been a failure. Assessment was resoundingly accurate; India nuclear
fraternity has conceded the reality after a decade.
On 28 May 1998, at 3:16 pm Pakistan conducted its first nuclear test. The
time has been termed as “Pakistan’s Finest Hour”. Moments between 11 to 28 May
witnessed interesting events. Prime Minister of that time, Mian Nawaz Sharif,
recently narrated that during this period he consulted almost everybody for
opinion and in the process when he sought Mr Majid Nizami’s views, the reply he
received was stunning for him. Mr Majid Nizami had told him point blank that if
he did not go ahead for a matching response, the people of Pakistan would shred
him into mince. Former PM Benazir Bhutto advocated not only an immediate nuclear
test by Pakistan, but also asserted that India should be disarmed by a
preemptive attack. On 18 May 1998, the Chairman of the PAEC was given a go
ahead. “Dhamaka kar dein” (Conduct the explosion) were the exact words used by
the Prime Minister to inform him of the decision.
During this period Indian approach was mixed with arrogance, confusion and
foolhardiness. At one time there arose a high probability of Indian air strikes
over Chagi to destroy the site prior to test. Pakistan Air Force (PAF) reacted
with lightening speed and created a protective umbrella over the test site. Dr
Samar Mubarakmand, who was the team leader at the testing site, once narrated
that while the PAF was in the process of doing its rapid deployments, the then
Air Chief’s request was conveyed to him that the scientists should suspend the
preparations for a couple of hours and vacate the test site for their personal
safety till the PAF’s protective air cover was effectively in place. The entire
team unanimously declined to leave the site and volunteered to continue the
preparations.
They indeed deserve national salute for their courage. The extreme
tension prevailing at the time of the tests is confirmed by the fact that five
hours after prime Minister’s announcement of the tests, Pakistan summoned the
Indian high commissioner to the foreign office and informed him that “credible
information” had been received that an attack was to be mounted before dawn on
Pakistan’s nuclear installations by India, and that “swift and massive
retaliation” would result. The ambassador was asked to convey to New Delhi that
Islamabad “expected the Indian government to desist from any irresponsible
act.”
Excerpts from Prime Minister’s speech on 28 May 1998 amply explain the
circumstances leading to Pakistan’s nuclearization.
He said: “Pakistan today
successfully conducted five nuclear tests…I congratulate all Pakistani
scientists, engineers and technicians for their dedicated team work and
expertise in mastering complex and advanced technologies…Our security, and the
peace and stability of the entire region, was gravely threatened. As any
self-respecting nation, we had no choice left for us. Our hand was forced by the
present Indian leadership’s reckless actions. We could not ignore the magnitude
of the threat… Our decision to exercise the nuclear option has been taken in the
interest of national self-defence… “
American led lobby has not yet reconciled
with Pakistan’s nuclear status. Pakistan continues to face nuclear apartheid.
America has signed Agreement 123 with India and has opened the flood gates of
fissile material for India while it continues to pressure Pakistan to sign a
Fissile Material Treaty that would freeze strategic asymmetry to Pakistan’s
peril. Post 9/11 setting has provided yet another channel for Indo-Israeli-US
nexus to malign Pakistan’s strategic assets. This time the strategy is to
project the possibility of Pakistan’s nuclear assets falling in the hands of
terrorists. Suggestions are often aired that Pakistan is at risk of succumbing
to extremists, therefore, its nuclear assets should be disabled, seized or
forcibly taken out.
The struggle is not yet over. However, as ever before, the nation stands
united to defend its nuclear assets at all cost. Pakistan has made it clear that
it would act decisively against any attempt by any quarter to harm its nuclear
assets.
By Air Cdre Khalid Iqbal (R)
PCF
![Pakistan Cyber Force [Official]](http://feeds.feedburner.com/PakistanCyberForce.2.gif)
Tested four times, this is a ground-hugging, precision missile with stealth capabilities that can hit warships and carry 300 kiloton nuclear warhead. Pakistan today test fired its air-launched cruise missile (ALCM), the Hatf VIII (Ra’ad). This is the fourth successful test of the missile by the Pakistani Armed Forces. According to the Pakistani Armed Forces officials, the missile is capable of delivering both the nuclear and conventional high-explosive warheads.
