Taliban — Pakistan Nuclear Menace
The possibilities of even a fraction of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal , falling into the hands of any faction of Taliban or its associates like ISIS, Jaish e Mohammed, Lashkar e Tayyaba, TTP etc needs to be considered very seriously by the entire world.
Actions need to be initiated immediately to avoid any catastrophe that will surely befall entire humanity through use by extremist jihadi elements, of nuclear device, even a Tactical one.
Pakistani army owns Pakistan. Pakistani army has committed aggression openly against India many times, attempted genocide of Bengalis in East Pakistan, killed more than ten thousand Palestinians over the last six decades. Just last week, Pakistani army launched a full division with attack helicopters to massacre the Tajiks and Hazaras who were putting up resistance against terrorist Taliban in the Panjisher valley.
Pakistan is home to many extremist terrorist organizations. Many of them like J e M, LeT, Taliban, are just extensions of their army and its intelligence agency, the ISI. Pakistan has managed to install a Talibani ( an extremist and terrorist organization) government in Afghanistan on 15th August 2021.
The governments in Pakistan have fully supported Pakistani army’s misadventures.
The motto of Pakistani army is “IMAAN, TAQWAA, JIHAAD (FI Sib-eel Mullah)”, the same as Taliban, Boko Haram, Al Qaida, ISIS and fifty other terrorist organizations around the world. Pakistan has made no secret of its desire to destroy India and convert the entire world to Mohammedanism.
In its repeated efforts to destroy a democratic and secular India, it was helped directly and indirectly in the past, by USA and its allies in CENTO. Since 1962, China has added its clout at every possible opportunity to goad Pakistan in its aggressive designs against India.
Pakistani Nuclear Weapons : World in Danger
That Pakistan could manage to make nuclear weapons was due to the soft corner that the administration and the Pentagon in USA have for Pakistani army and its generals, which continues to this day. Prior administrations are also to blame[1]. Today Pakistan possesses more than 100 nuclear warheads according to reliable sources.
Communist China has provided Pakistan not only with armored vehicles, and weapon systems but also naval ships and fighters. China has now provided rockets to Pakistan that can be fired over long distances, and which can accommodate the atomic warheads possessed by Pakistan.
Pakistani army today possesses more than 100 nuclear weapons. [2] It is also proceeding to produce Tactical nuclear weapons. These Tactical nuclear weapons, which due to their smaller size, are comparatively easy to handle. It is well known that terrorist organizations like Al Qaida and ISIS have always been looking for some means to come in possession of nuclear weapons.
Nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists has always been a nightmare to the entire world. Immediately after the breakup of USSR there was enormous scare in the world, that any of these nuclear devices could fall into the hands of the terrorists. Luckily for the world and the entire humanity, thanks to unprecedented cooperation between Russia and USA,[3] attempts by Al Qaida and other Terrorist organizations to buy or hijack nuclear weapons did not succeed.
[2] Hans Kristensen and Robert Norris characterize Pakistan as having, “the world’s fastest-growing nuclear stockpile.” [1] According to the SIPRI 2018 Yearbook, Pakistan possesses between 150 and 160 nuclear weapons. [2] Pakistan has stockpiled approximately 3.4 ± 0.4 metric tons of highly enriched uranium (HEU), and produces enough HEU for perhaps 10 to 15 warheads per year. Pakistan also has a stockpile of about 280 kg of weapons-grade plutonium . In addition, the Chashma reprocessing plant that began operations in 2015 is thought to have expanded Pakistan’s plutonium production capability by 50–100 kg per year. [3] Pakistan has completed work on all four reactors at the Khushab facility, where the Khan Research Laboratories greatly increased its HEU production capacity. Satellite imagery of the fourth and last reactor at Khushab from January 2015 verified the complete external construction, including the presence of steam that signified its operation. [4]
[3] Hecker cited one 1992 meeting with Russian scientists in Moscow who were clearly concerned about the risks. In his new book, Doomed to Cooperate: How American and Russian scientists joined forces to avert some of the greatest post-Cold War nuclear dangers, Hecker quoted one Russian expert as saying, “We now need to be concerned about terrorism.” https://engineering.stanford.edu/magazine/article/why-soviet-nuclear-arsenal-stayed-secure-nation-collapsed
WILL PAKISTAN HAND OVER NUCLEAR DEVICES TO TALIBAN?
This is a question that needs further consideration.
Not officially. Of course Pakistani army will not officially and formally hand over any nuclear device to Taliban, which is a terrorist organisation.
Nuclear weapons of larger magnitude need special knowledge and skills to maintain and operate. However Pakistan can deploy nuclear weapons and its own personnel in Afghanistan to ‘protect’ Afghanistan from ‘invaders’.
Tactical nuclear weapons are easier to handle. They can be moved around safely and with speed, in unmarked vehicles, without escort. Any of these can be hijacked while enroute to a destination.
It is an open secret that many officers and ranks in Pakistani army, Navy and Air Force are highly sympathetic to Jihadi organisations. They also move around freely in and out of security zones. In a short while there will be hundreds of devices in circulation, as warheads are moved from and to ‘safe locations’ on a regular basis for reasons of secrecy, security and maintenance.
Is it possible that during such a move, one or two TNWs are slipped to a terrorist organisation?
LOOMING DANGER of A NUCLEAR TALIBAN
During the last ten years it has become more and more obvious that the Pakistani army, Navy, and Air Force personal have been influenced by extremist ideologies, and many openly lend support terrorist organizations like JeM, Lashkar e Tayyaba and the Taliban.
In addition to the support by the civilian government and the Pakistani army, It is an open secret today that many officers and other ranks from the Pakistani army have deserted and joined the Taliban and other terrorist organizations over the last decade[1]. These rogue elements have also been targeting India. They are members of terrorist organizations like JeM, LeT, TTP etc and have free access to Pakistani army establishments and training areas.
India has been a special target for the terrorist organizations which have official recognition as also renegade Pakistani army officers and men. The 26/11 attack on Bombay which lasted over three days was planned, organized and executed renegade Pakistani army Major Abdul Rehman Hashim also commonly known as Pasha.
The possibility of atomic weapons falling into the hands of Taliban or the Haqqani network is high.
Taliban is obviously very keen to process atomic weapons for it knows well that countries with atomic weapons cannot be invaded with impunity. No sane country in the world will attempt to dislodge Taliban, if it possesses atomic weapons .
It will definitely keep away any United Nations force, or even American forces as possession of atomic weapons by Taliban will raise its ability to blackmail the entire world.
The entire world will now be compelled to watch helplessly, while Afghanistan and Pakistan become breeding grounds for the worst type of terrorists including ISIS. It is already in the news, that terrorist organizations around the world are moving or planning to move to Afghanistan and set up their establishments on a permanent basis.
This poses imminent danger to the entire free world.
[1] Major Abdul Rehman Hashim Syed, better known as “Pasha.” He had served in Musharraf’s maroon berets of the S.S.G., but then slipped out to join the LeT and become a bagman for Ilyas Kashmiri and his 313 Brigade. Pasha was an opaque and deadly bomb builder and assassin who had turned against the state. He travelled openly, staying in officers’ messes, without ever being rumbled, because his support network within the military was plush.” ‘Spy Stories’ by Adrian Levi and Cathy Scott- Clark’.
NEED FOR MOST EMERGENT MEASURES
Considering the Jingoistic moves of Pakistani army and ISI, in the past and its close association with terrorist organisations, Pakistan cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons.
Countries most vulnerable to jihadi menace today are India, Saudi Arabia under Mohammad Bin Salman, Israel, Europe especially France , USA and Russia. It will be necessary for all these countries to come together and pressurize Pakistan to document its nuclear archives and bring them under international regulatory supervision.
There is no other way for safeguarding the world and Humanity. There is no time to lose.