Dawn.com invites its readers to debate current affairs in this forum.
The Pakistan government continues to maintain that security around its stockpile of nuclear weapons is ‘second to none.’ The top US military officer Mike Mullen has gone on record as saying that his country is ‘comfortable’ with Pakistan’s nuclear safety.
But with the growing threat from the Taliban and related militants, how safe do you think the arsenal really is? Do you trust the government and armed forces to safeguard the country’s nuclear weapons?
We have had nukes and terrorist for years now and none of the nukes have been stolen and neither have the terrorists been eliminated.
So life goes on.
If it was military capability/ technology/ competence alone that mattered, many of you are right declaring that nukes in Pakistan are safe. The question here is: is that all that really matters? If such characteristics were really the determinants of success, should Vietnam and Afghanistan and the resulting fate of western troops there have happened?
Strong nationalistic feelings apart, what’s missing in the entire string of discussion is the overarching consideration of the collective Pakistani mindset that includes international and internal relations dynamics together with a strategic goal for the Nation. Where does Pakistan see itself 25 years down the road? Economically successful, secure, literate, evolved and tolerant nation or still a country that lives on handouts and bailouts from overseas and international agencies, keeping it as vulnerable to international objectives and internal disputes as it is today?
Without getting the arms and heads around such fundamental issues, no country can really consider itself safe.
I’m sorry but this originates from lack of understanding of the system. The so called nuclear arsenal is not stowed or used like conventional munitions and ammunition. There’s a complete process that requires multiple outfits to perform in cohesion to make a single nuke available. Even units that were raised to perform this task have to exercise the routine several times a year just to be on the button. The nature of the weapon makes it impossible to be stolen. Besides, the entire business of strategic weaponry is thickly shrouded in such extreme secrecy that those not connected to it know very little about it.
oops….
sorry i thought mullen said he was not comfortable with us and the nukes….my bad…
yeah…i retract my previous comments…..
should read stuff more closely ( and be a little less biased perhaps ? lol)
Rajiv —
i appreciate your message. But let me re-iterate.
Taleban are NOT pious people. They wont bring ANY peace to Pakistan. They are terrorists. They should be treated like terrorists. They are our SWORN enemy.
To get back on subject, our nukes are safe. The people who control our nukes are rigorously and thoroughly checked.
Read comments by American defence analysts. They admit that Pakistan is in a position to teach other countries on the Strategic Command and Assets Security/Protocol.
It is easy for jingoists and drama-queens to get paranoid about Pakistan’s nuclear assets. That is how the media works. Stories sell.
We are nuclear armed. We have the ability to deliver our nuclear arms. God forbid we even THINK about using them, or them being used on us. This isnt a game, this is serious.
Lets focus on important issues, such as working hard for ourselves and our economy.
This is Pakistan. You are my Pakistani brothers and sisters. PAKISTAN FIRST.
While Pakistanis sleep, the Armed Forces stays awake at all times. God bless them.
I do agree that pakistan needs Allahs blessings to remain what it is. Why talk about nukes? Look what is happening around you. The Taliban are too close to your cities for comfort. I have seen comments from some of you on India, and I feel sorry for you all. You still consider India as your biggest enemy???? I feel the greatest enemy is there within. Your best people are sitting in the baracks anticipating an attack from India while a battle rages within.
Gentlemen leave this hate game behind…You and I as common men will benefit nothing from this.
The world community,especially the people creating uproar about the safety and security of pak nukes,be rest assured that pakistan’s command and control system on nuclear weapons is so vibrant and reliable that it meets the world standards.The nukes are administered by the security agencies of pakistan especially ISI,which is very professional and patriotic in its operations,free of political control and capable enough to protect them.The change of government in pakistan,either military or civil, has least impact on its strategy regarding pak nukes and over all security of the country.I, therefore,being a responsible pakistani, urge the international community not to be worried about its nukes,for they are designed for peaceful purposes and is a minimum deterrence for those who seek to challenge their occupants.
While the security measures for the Nuclear assets may be good,serious questions should be asked about those guarding these assets. The sad truth is that violent religious extremism and Al Qaeda ideology has slowly poisoned the Pakistani psyche over the last 20 Years. We must understand that the writ of the Taliban runs through a large geographic area. The inference is that the Taliban and Jihadists have large significant support across the cross section of Society.
The take over of Nuclear Assets may well be a silent coup by the guardians of these Assets.The danger is not from thieves but the Watchdogs.
I reiterate a previous writer’s concerns: this is a non-issue! Even the US concedes the Pak nuclear assets are safe!!
When will our media stop questioning Pakistan, and start promoting the pride back to Pakistan which we should rightly have?
We need to believe in ourselves – Allah SWT has given us everything we need, we just need to realise it.
We are responsible and a peace loving nation.Its just a propoganda against us that our nukes are not safe.
If it wasn’t for the Pakistani nuclear deterrent, there is nothing that the foreign elements would be afraid of. So Pakistani state as a whole and the army in particular should really take care of their nuclear assets.
Although I am quite sure those who have the responsibility to take care of our nuclear assets are capable, given the recent events developing since about 2 years where the Talibans (I wouldn’t just call them a group rag-tag terrorists as certain people like to call them) are getting upper hand against the regular Pakistani army with all it’s resources, one, even staunch believer and proud of it’s armed forces starts to have doubts.
Our generals need to prove that their men are capable of taking care not just of nukes but the present war like situation that Pakistan finds itself in against not so regular enemy.
our nuclear arsenal is well guarded by our jubilant and professional armed forces. we are not a rogue state that needs telling how to protect ourselves.
I think the US has put in many passwords and locks so that even if the nukes fall in the hands of extremists they can do little with them, sometimes I have doubts whether Pakistan also can bypass the security apparatus set in by the US for their nukes. Hence do not fear at all.
I dont know why are Pakistan’s nukes such a problem. Its not that they are all assembled, mounted on missles and ready to go that they might fall in the wrong hands and might be used. A nuclear weapon is not something that can be put in a handbag or briefcase and taken away. Assembling a nuke and then launching it is in itself a cumbersome job. The army and strategic command are more than capable of protecting them. Thats their job, isnt it??
People concerned with the safety of our weapons should put their own house in order first. There are many reports that one of the most heavily guarded areas in the world, the US Los Alamos lab, center for advanced weapons research, development and testing, is not safe as well. At least we do not have such issues here.
It is futile debating whether or not the nuclear arsenal safe, the question is what is the use of securing those weapons if they are of no use to defend this country from insurgency. The very foundations of the country are shaken by the unending militancy and we are worried about the safety of nuclear assets.
As a nation we should have firm belief in our armed forces. It is the successive civil governments who let down the nation time and again. The entire lot of politicians and so called national leaders are responsible for the current mess. Their lust for power has brought the country the brink of collapse. It is high time to make the leaders realize the gravity of the situation and remind them their duty.
@wajahat
Bhopal was an accident and accident can take place anywhere moreover it was a gas tragedy nowhere related to NUKE. answer this question:
1. why did Dr. AQ khan sold Nuke tech. to some rogue nation.
2. has taliba not acquired almost half of the pakistan.
I think, Pakistani nukes are not safe.
I think the biggest mistake Pakistan did was issuing threats to use nuclear weapons in case of eventuality. No responsible nation has shown this level of desperation. We must also admit that our weapons are not inbuilt but a variant of korean, german or canadian designs and belong to cold war era. The technology itself is outdated expensive to maintain (we pay out of our nose for that matter). The real enemy is inside, there has been virtually no government in last 2 decades or more and army has miserably failed, also our internal secretive agencies who allegedly created a holy war or so called “JIHAD” else where in afghanistan and Kashmir are finding it difficult to control the overgrown babies, there are multiple groups in country bleeding our economy and no one has adequate mapping of these groups. For all we know, there could be a large number of terrorist and taliban or taliban sympathisers in uniform learning about pakistani bombs and or safeguarding them,these people might easily use it against pakistan or might blackmail pakistan to surrender some more land and take the region in permanent dark ages. An average literate pakistani does not wish to live in his own country, Middle East, USA or Europe and if nothing works, a pakistani does not mind migrating to our immediate neighbour, that is the state of security and progress in our country. To whom does this country belong to? Let America or some one else safeguard our nuclear at least we know there are less chances that these nuclears will be used against us.
Areh betay, why do you think we Sikhs are leaving Punjab and India by the planeload. It is only a matter of time the nukes will explode in both Punjabs. Every Sikh including his family pet dog is migrating overseas. Who cares who starts the war yaar. Once the nuke war starts its lights out for all of us. It will be good night charlie or Kaboom! Betay the Nuclear bomb doesn’t know the difference between a Muslim, Sikh or Hindu. It will just blow all of us back to our Maker.
our nukes are safe and army is much capable of doing it…
I agree with ali who posted why dawn is starting these kind of discussions to promote propaganda of west. and then bloggers of west will use comments posted here in their blogs saying even pakistani thinks its not safe…
Pakistan nukes are safe and it should be a point of debate. The real question is the game played by foreign powers to create an impression that there is no writ of the government in large swathes of the country. Statements of the US that taliban could take over Islamabad and terrorist acts in our cities, situation in swat and tribal areas are the worrying factors that undermines the perception of stability in Pakistan.
our Army is one of the best armies of the world. Adept in advanced technology they are capable of safeguarding our nukes. concerns of west and US regarding Pakistan’s nukes are baseless.
Our army is capable of security of our Pakistan and its assets. We do not have to be paranoid !
Though I am from India, I feel the worry regarding Pakistani nukes is unnecessary. Pakistan is a big and solid country and is quite capable of handling its affairs. Even if Taliban take over Pakistan the nuclear weapons will remain safe because the Taliban are pious people and will bring the much needed peace and the Pakistan Army is well disciplined. May God Bless the brothers and sisters in Pakistan.
Pakistan is the only South Asian State that has been successfully challenging Indian hegemony. And in this endeavor, Pakistani planners have been greatly facilitated by Nuclear shield.So this dimension places greater responsibility on Pakistani State managers to take custody, safety and security of their Nuclear arsenal very seriously.This becomes all the more important at a time when India is having economic resourse base and conventional military superiority to undertake successful conventional military operation against Pakistan.
So my dear Pakistani friends, TAKE CARE OF YOUR NUKES!