Pakistan has to maintain minimum credible nuclear deterrence: expert

[sonicboom]

Pakistan has to maintain minimum credible nuclear deterrence: expert

Rasheed Khalid
Wednesday, February 02, 2011

India’s anti-ballistic missiles and well-developed space programme supported by Israel are a point of serious concern for Pakistan, said National Defence University President Lieutenant General Agha Muhammad Umer Farooq.

He was addressing the seminar on ‘Global Trends in Arms Control and Disarmament: Implications for Pakistan’ organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies (ISS) here on Tuesday.

He said that the Indo-US nuclear deal as well as cooperation in conventional field is likely to grow in India’s favour, thus accelerating arms race in the region. Maintaining “minimum credible nuclear deterrence” would require Pakistan to review its nuclear policy, he said adding that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear weapons state and not the first to initiate nuclear race in South Asia. He said that while Pakistan will continue to act with responsibility avoiding an arms race, it will not remain oblivious to the imperative of maintaining “minimum credible nuclear deterrence.”

General Farooq said that global trends in arms control and disarmament had global and regional impact especially on Pakistan. He said that on the one hand, US President Obama talked about an ambitious plan to have “Nuclear Zero,” while on the other hand US did not ratify Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and its Nuclear Review Posture (NRP), which indicated that the US will continue to rely on its nuclear potentials to pursue foreign policy objectives. He observed that it is “highly unlikely” that the international community would see a world free of nuclear weapons “in foreseeable future,” as the ongoing arms control efforts may prove counterproductive.

Former Ambassador Tariq Osman Hyder said that Pakistan came under strain when certain developing non-nuclear member states demanded their right to complete access to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. He also focused on the varying nature of arms control and disarmament objectives and how they fail to remain at par with global realities.

Brigadier (r) Feroz Hassan Khan said that Pakistan faces three worries: Pakistan’s position on FMCT, the failure of detente and rapprochement between Pakistan and India and internal societal trends. He said the nuclear security issue is well understood in the United States as it is a dead issue now.

Brigadier (r) Naeem Salik opined that 2010 was an extremely eventful year as far as arms control and disarmament are concerned. He mentioned the announcement of the Global Zero and the realisation that this is not possible in near future. Similarly, assurances were given to non-nuclear states and allies were also assured that they would be provided deterrence.

Regina Galer, Political Officer/Director US Department of Energy, US Embassy, explaining official US position said that the US was looking forward to working with its partners on arms control and disarmament.

Professor Zafar Nawaz Jaspal from Quaid-i-Azam University said that US and its allies were developing missile defence systems and stressed upon rebuilding America’s aging nuclear infrastructure.

Earlier, Ambassador Tanvir Ahmad Khan, Director General, ISS, in his welcome address, stressed the need of anticipating and preparing for future in the wake of nuclear threat and its implications in global shifts.

Ambassador (r) Tariq Fatemi, Sannia Abdullah from QAU, and Malik Qasim Mustafa and Saira Abbasi from ISS also spoke on the occasion.

Pakistan has to maintain minimum credible nuclear deterrence: expert