Wednesday, June 3, 1998
Pakistan buckles under pressure to build nuclear bombs
NUCLEAR: Failed sanctions, lack of assistance force nation to
drastic action
By Ahamed Mapara
The Lantern, Ohio State University
University Wire
The recent Indian warnings to Pakistan concerning a possible
takeover of the disputed territories of Kashmir and the Siachen
Glacier – both of which India and Pakistan have been fighting over
since they gained their independence from Britain in 1947 – left
Pakistan with little choice but to answer the nuclear arms
question.
Consider their position: First came the unconvincing promise
from the so-called "peace loving" nations of the West to provide
Pakistan with financial and military security in times of war.
America has been unable to resolve the debate on whether or not to
deliver the 28 F-16 fighter jets Pakistan had long ago paid for.
And the new sanctions the international community imposed to punish
India for having conducted nuclear tests have had little or no
impact upon the Indian economy.
The internal pressure facing the Pakistani government has,
understandably, risen to its zenith. On May 26, The Washington Post
reported, "Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged shell, artillery
and mortar fire Tuesday along the disputed Kashmiri border, where
tension has mounted since India’s nuclear tests earlier this
month."
Pakistan was left with no other choice but to put her national
security and sovereignty first by giving her neighbor the answer
she has been persistently asking for: "The Pakistani Bomb."
Pakistan has so far had three wars with her mighty neighbor
India and the most recent 1971 war resulted in Pakistan losing its
eastern territory, now Bangladesh. Since then both countries have
developed nuclear capabilities, something which has acted as a
deterrent for the last 27 years. However, India’s recent nuclear
testing adventures – led by the newly-elected BJP Indian regime
known for their Hindu fundamentalism – has fueled the war of words
between the two governments.
Both Indian and Pakistani spokespeople have persistently
threatened and warned one another. However, economically Pakistan
is far more vulnerable and likely to be hurt than its neighbor.
With loans from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in
excess of $30 billion, Pakistan is far more financially dependent
on the international community than is India.
Pakistan will have to come up with some sound planning on how to
deal with international sanctions now that they, too, have been
forced to engage in nuclear testing. But with such discouraging
responses from the G-8 members (Britain, France and Canada have
decided against sanctioning India, and Russia didn’t even consider
it) and Indian aggression mounting daily, detonating a bomb was,
ironically, the only way to ensure Pakistan a sense of security in
this dangerously unstable region of the world. With no assurances
of military and economic packages from the industrialized world, it
would have been too much to ask from the Pakistani government to
hold off any longer.
One good which might come out of this is Pakistan’s forced
economic independence. Although it will be a lesson learned the
hard way, Pakistan may finally see to her own economic and
defensive needs, never to lose her land and esteem to an aggressor
again.