Nuclear deterrence for peace

Pakistan’s nuclear programme had proved by any stretch of imagination as vital contributor to peace and stability in the region. Its strategic and rational basis was conceived and executed to maintain balance of power in South Asia -- so indispensible for the peace and security of this region and beyond. On the other hand, India’s nuclear programme was conceived and implemented to establish its hegemony in this region, and the regional countries as the servile promoter of it strategic interests. Pakistan’s nuclear programme had higher strategic basis in consistent with the spirit of UN charter while Indian nuclear programme was country specific at the expense of the strategic interests of the regional countries. Indian failure to bring Pakistan to its knees also saved the regional countries from the anticipated Indian intimidation that might have been the worst of its kind. Indeed Pakistan contributed to the sense of security of the regional countries as well those might have been vulnerable if Pakistan had not been a nuclear power.

Pakistan’s nuclear status had served and indeed served very well by successfully thwarting the vicious aggression by India against Pakistan not once but many times since 1998. The possibility of unfolding such nightmarish war like situations could not be precluded in the future in the face of the big neighbour’s notorious track record of bullying the regional states in perpetuity. The political leadership and defence policy planners of Pakistan may therefore continue to upgrade and fine tune the country’s nuclear deterrence keeping in view the imperatives of invincibility of the country’s defences co-relating it to the enemy’s capabilities and intentions. Pakistan cannot afford to lower its guards.

The nation is deeply beholden to Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in particular and Indeed Nawaz Sharif in general for conceiving and implementing the vision to make the country’s defence impregnable capable of keeping the only potential aggressor at bay. Prohibitive cost of any misadventure wrapped in the narrative of ‘mutually assured destruction’ was the factor to serve as the ultimate pre-emption. For, in nuclear war all are losers and no winners, and survivors will personify as ghost in procession begging for the ultimate day at the earliest. One of the Noble Peace Laureates has described the nuclear horror in these words, ‘we have a choice, the end of nuclear weapons or the end of us’. But Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence was for peace in the face of Indian grotesquely limitless narcissism. It had proved its justification and worth in the context of peace and security between the two countries and beyond.

Pakistani nation will always remember with infinite measure of gratitude and tributes to Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto who took visionary and far sighted policy decisions preceded by the thorough implementation of the same for making the country’s defence invincible with no chink in the armory. The objective was the enemy country could not dare to cast an evil eye on its existence and independence. Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto decided to make Pakistan an atomic power after India conducted nuclear test in 1974. For, without this status Pakistan would have not withstood the nuclear blackmail of India resulting to enslavement thus reducing the independence of the nation as meaningless and worthless. It may be mentioned that the Indian leadership had toxic ambition to prove Pakistan was not viable politically, economically and ideologically. The threat was undoubtedly credible because Indian were committed to undo it in pursuance of the realisation of their dream of Akhand Bharat.

Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, after subduing the ferocious dictatorship of General Ziaul Haq, became the first elected prime minister of Pakistan of the Muslim world. As a charismatic visionary stateswomen, she was convinced that Pakistan’s nuclear status must be juxtaposed with the state of the art delivery system to meet the pressing exigencies of the ‘full-spectrum defence’. Mohtarma Shaheed succeeded in equipping the country’s defences with the state of the art technology missile technology capable of delivering the pay load with pin drop precision. Only the leader of her caliber could see the dangers to the country’s security and integrity lying in the future. Her successful endeavours to add missile technology in the country’s arsenals took care of the loophole that would have made country’s defences vulnerable without the proficient delivery system. With the appendage of this technology the nuclear deterrence was complete to foil the enemy country’s evil design thoroughly and comprehensively. “According to former head of the Strategic Division, General Kidwai, there is no place in India, including outlying regions that could be hidden from the reach of Pakistani missiles. Pakistan’s strategic, tactical and operational capabilities are capable of stalking and hitting the aggressor’s targets without fail.”

Three times prime minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif’s remarkable contributions could not be underestimated who proved the nuclear credentials of Pakistan without an iota of doubt. That was terribly required because the rumors were making rounds that the country’s nuclear capability of arms grade was a big bluff projected by design in a bid to warn India not to dare any misadventure against the country. This perception would have gained finality if Pakistan had decided not to conduct nuclear tests under intense international pressure entailing grave ramifications for country’s security and safety. The world was already much terrified with the Indian nuclear explosions in 1998 apprehending that more countries’ acquiring nuclear weapons would correspondingly enhance the dangers to peace and security of the world. The movement to reduce the nuclear weapons stockpile of declared nuclear powers was getting popular at that time among the people of the world.

The international community lead by the United States was putting full pressure on Pakistan leadership not to conduct nuclear tests while offering billions of dollars economic aid as quid pro quo. In Pakistan, the public pressure was increasing with every passing day for conducting nuclear tests. The military was also seemingly not inclined, according to some reports, to conduct nuclear tests as it could trigger the US hostility resulting in vast negatives for the country in myriad forms and manifestations.

Late Majeed Nizami’s prophetic saying handed out to warn former prime minister Nawaz Sharif aptly reflected the sentiments of the people of the country. He said,’ if you do not explode the nuclear tests now the people will explode you for sure’.

The elected prime minister had the temerity to take courageous decisions because of his strength was rooted in the people of the country. Had there been a dictator in Pakistan he would have never dared to conduct the nuclear tests in the face of the sworn opposition of the United States of America because they conflated their parochial interests with America’s. General Musharraf surrendered when Richard Armatage, a junior official of the State Department, made a telephone call after 9/11. Dictators considered their staying in power solely depended on keeping the Superpower on the right side instead of the people. God was indeed very kind to Pakistani nation that the country was then ruled by the democratically elected prime minister.

Finally, Nawaz Sharif went along with decision as per the aspirations of the people and conducted six nuclear tests in May 1998 as against of India’s four such tests. With that Pakistan emerged as the 7th nuclear power on the radar of nuclear power states. The morale of the people was seeing in believing as the nuclear tests gave the nation new confidence and immeasurable sense of security in the face of recurring naked security threats emanating from the eastern big neighbouring country. The sense of security and achievement among the people of Pakistan begged all descriptions as these were reflected in the widespread tumultuous jubilations right across the country.

The people may recall that at that time BJP was the ruling party in India and its leaders were in presumptuous mood in their assertions especially towards Pakistan. Their tirade against Pakistan was outrageous defying all norms of diplomacy, and their blatant interference into the internal affairs were akin to flouting the UN charter with impunity. They would not get tired in sending the loud and clear messages to Pakistan leadership advising them forget Kashmir and instead handover the AJK to India because Pakistan had occupied it by force.

The tone and tenor of the Indian leadership registered a complete and immediate reversal without compunction after Pakistan’s six nuclear tests. The U-turn advocating that all the issues between the two countries should be resolved through peaceful means was a pleasant surprise as their earlier juggernaut was fiercely incongruous. Their poignant advocacy afterwards in favour of diplomacy over brinkmanship was indeed the result of Pakistan’s attaining the status of nuclear power. The munificence was well placed in the context.

It could be reasonably concluded that Pakistan’s nuclear status has achieved its core objective, so far, because by and large there is peace in the region as no full scale war broke out since the nuclearisation. On the other hand, Indian nuclear programme has failed because it could not fulfill its long standing ambition to establish its hegemony in the sub-continent.

The balance of power or balance of terror is intact for good. Ironically, India was the only power that was grotesquely infatuated with such ambition like hegemonic designs for the obvious and wrong reasons.

muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com