Chai-on,
the CNN footage was not faked from what i can gather, and there does seem to be
very good evidence for some kind of afghani connection not only to this event
but also the bombing of the USS Cole. it is obvious that rumsfeld and co. had
planned to get massive revenge for the latter sooner or later.
given the grave instability and general hostility of the pakistani state which
the US seems to view as functionally integrated with the taliban and OBL's
networks, it is my guess that the US does not intend to leave the region until
it has removed pakistan's nuclear capacity and generally done to its military
assets what was done to iraq's a decade ago.
the US cannot want an aggressive Pakistan around to disrupt power relations
within the Gulf regimes while Israel and India have obvious interests in the
decimation of Pakistani military might. This is my guess; it seems that
musharraf also seems to think that the very existence of the pakistani state is
now under threat. PM seems to be warning that non cooperation with the
Americans or a right wing military coup will give the US license to begin
strikes. But perhaps such strikes will find their justification in time anyway.
It does not seem that rumsfeld and company are seeking a political solution;
one trembles at the many things that could wrong as events are now unfolding. i
wonder whether there is the political will in India to carry out strikes
against Pakistan, including its nuclear capacity. Obviously Musharraf thinks
so...which may increase the possibility of a first strike.
i cannot attest to the veracity of the report below; we do need people with
real expertise.
Defector says Pakistan had nuclear 'first
strike' plan
July 1, 1998
Web posted at: 12:15 p.m. EDT (1615 GMT)
In this story:
Assistance from other countries?
Defector in danger?
Related stories and sites
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A Pakistani nuclear
scientist seeking asylum in the United States
said Wednesday that he fled out of concern
his country was considering a first nuclear
strike against India.
Isthikar Khan Chaudryoi, 29, told CNN that
he became alarmed after attending a top-secret meeting
in April on Pakistan's nuclear strategy
"I came to know that just in a couple of days, an
atomic war is beginning in between India and Pakistan," Khan said.
Khan told USA Today that he and four fellow scientists
signed a protest letter out of concern Pakistan would use nuclear weapons
first.
Jane's Defense Weekly, a British magazine, said the
five included the deputy leader of Pakistan's nuclear program. The men had
evaded Pakistan's secret service and fled to various Western nations, the
report said.
According to USA Today, Khan's four associates are
believed to be in England. Jane's said the five scientists denied being
unpatriotic, saying that their sole reason for fleeing the country had been
disagreement with plans that included a first strike against Indian military
targets.
Pakistan issued a statement denying that any of its
nuclear scientists defected. The government called the accusation "of planning
to launch a preemptive strike against India ... particularly malicious" and
designed to "fuel tensions which already persist at an alarming level."
Assistance from other countries?
Khan's attorney says his client is prepared to provide
details to U.S. officials about Pakistan's nuclear program, including
assistance it has received other from other countries.
"(Khan) has evidence and has seen documents linking Iran and China to
Pakistan's nuclear program as well as funding of this program by nearby Muslim
states and countries," Khan's attorney, Michael Wildes, told CNN.
USA Today quoted Khan as saying Pakistan has produced enough plutonium
to make a weapon but that the country's nuclear program "still needs some
assistance from other countries." Pakistan used uranium, rather than the
more potent plutonium, in its recent nuclear tests.
Defector in danger?
Wildes believes his client's information, including location, yield and range
of Pakistani's missiles, would be of great interest to American intelligence
sources. The FBI and the Senate Intelligence Committee reportedly are looking
into the matter.
As Khan seeks asylum, he is in danger as are family
members who remained in Pakistan, Wildes said.
"This man has been very brave and has taken a bold step to shed some light on a
region that is very volatile and is using weapons that are very dangerous," the
attorney told CNN. "He's put himself at personal risk and I hope that
the government will acknowledge this and expeditiously ajudicate his
case."
Khan left Pakistan in May before a series of nuclear tests conducted that month
by both India and
Pakistan in developments widely viewed as spurring a
nuclear arms race in South Asia.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Oct 02 2001 - 00:00:05 EDT