Ban the bomb

By K.N. Pandita

Internal situation in Pakistan, an Asian nuclear state, must trigger off a fresh debate on the question of UN imposing wholesale ban on nuclear weapons. Some sensitive circles in the west are already seized of the issue.

Pakistan, a long time military dictatorship, made a couple of attempts to stabilise democracy. It failed. The main reason is the creation of a State on the basis of religion, which did not prove a viable proposition.

With fundamentalist-terrorist combine holding Pakistani civil society a hostage, and the government playing seek and hide with these outfits, the danger of her nuclear arsenal falling in the hands of crusading legions holed up in the NWFP has increased manifold.

There is hardly any confirmation from any reliable source that the US wields control, full or partial, on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Washington can and may trust Musharraf’s assurance that Pakistan’s nuclear muscle is in safe hands, but Musharraf himself is far less safe in his position today than at any time in the past.

It matters little how far Washington can be confident of General Kiyani’s loyalty to Musharraf. Looking at desk book rules of coups and regimes of military dictators in Pakistan, Musharraf is vulnerable.

What can happen in such a situation? There is fast growing sympathy for the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban among the rank and file in Pakistan’s Army leave alone her strong segment of Theo-fascists. It is going to intensify with the passage of time. Surrender of more than three thousand Pakistani troops before the Al-Qaeda/Taliban outfit in Waziristan is a warning that trouble is brewing in Pakistan’s Army. Once Musharraf is deposed and ostracised, the new incumbent will have no choice but to negotiate a deal with his antagonists. He cannot conclude the deal from a position of strength.

Before terrorist culture is formally legitimised in Pakistan, which is only a mile away, it would be the right thing for the world community to comprehend and then forestall its grave consequences.

Korea and Iran both are bitten by the nuclear bug. Other small countries in Asia and Latin America will surely like to jump on to the nuclear bandwagon. They want to make political capital out of it knowing that it is gall to the US. How many countries shall the policeman of Washington run after? That is not the way of dealing with the monster.

Furthermore world has become over-interdependent. No State has logistical resources, will and freedom to play with the hydra in the hope of destroying others without getting destroyed. Of course, only the terrorists of Al-Qaeda and Taliban construct and ideology will have no qualms of conscience in unleashing the dirty weapon once they are capable of laying their hands on them. A disintegrating Pakistan will sadistically prefer these outfits getting control over the nuclear arsenal rather than use it against any country especially India, which has a high retaliatory capability.

Therefore before the world comes to witness the catastrophe, an earnest but solid move should be made by regional and international organisations like EU, SAARC, OIC, Latin American and African organizations to banish the bomb. An international committee under the aegis of the UN should be constituted to deliberate over the issue within a time bound frame. The sooner the genii are put back in the bottles; the better will be the chances for humanity’s survival from an impending holocaust.

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