News & Comment
Pakistan's Treacherous Leadership Enslaves Nuclear Development to US Requirements

News

The Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Sunday, 12th June 2016, said Pakistan's credentials for the membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) are stronger than India's, if the 48-nation cartel agrees to form a uniform criteria for non-NPT states. He further said, "Our strategy was to apply after India did, ... I telephoned the foreign ministers of Russia, New Zealand and South Korea, who will in future head the NSG, and our viewpoint was that they should support the criteria-based approach, and we have gathered support for it, China was already supporting it".

Comment

To contextualize the current rush for entry into the NSG it must be realized that the submission to US demands is entrenched in Pakistan's leadership, so it never takes the lead in new initiatives according to Pakistan's own needs, especially in the critical field of military technology. Pakistan's military development is knocked around left and right by US interests in the region. The US during and after the Cold War supported India’s quest to build its nuclear program, supplying it with the heavy water research reactor “CIRUS” to obtain plutonium for the Indian demonstration of nuclear warheads in 1974. At a time when a Congress-led India remained outside of its sphere of influence, the US allowed Pakistan to develop nuclear technology. Then, after the USSR invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, when Pakistan became America's front-line state in countering the USSR occupation and stopping the spread of communism. So, America raised Pakistan military and economic aid to the level that it became the third largest beneficiary of US economic and military aid after the Jewish state and Egypt, with Jihad being promoted as a legitimate liberation struggle. These US requirements allowed Pakistan to aggressively advance its production of weapon grade nuclear fissile material as well as missile delivery systems and establish an arsenal of nuclear warheads.

The US continued to temper Pakistan's pursuit of nuclear technology through a carrot and stick policy depending on its own requirements in South Asia at any given time. It is believed that in 1984 Pakistan reached at a level where it could have conducted nuclear test to demonstrate its nuclear warhead capability. However, America ensured that Pakistan did not reply in kind to Indian nuclear tests as it tried to establish US influence within India. Also America introduced the Pressler amendment, which banned most economic and military assistance to Pakistan unless the US President certified on an annual basis that "Pakistan does not possess a nuclear explosive device and that the proposed United States assistance program will reduce significantly the risk that Pakistan will possess a nuclear explosive device."

Now today US supports India with both conventional and nuclear weapons and seeks to bring India into the NSG, so as to provide India with the much needed nuclear material for exceeding the number of nuclear warheads of China, as the US is the dominant influence within the NSG. And we note that even if the current regime succeeds in making Pakistan entering the NSG, the US policy means that its nuclear program will come under further US pressure, rather than less because the US requirements of Pakistan is that it prevents the tribal resistance only and does not challenge India's rise as the dominant regional power.

Pakistan has great potential to become a major power in the world. Alongside its immense economic and military resources, it has an ideal geo-strategic location. And above all, it is blessed with an Islam-loving people who are always ready to render any sacrifice for Islam.

The only thing that Pakistan lacks is a sincere, aware and independent leadership. The strong man that the Muslims need today is a Khaleefah Rashid, ruling by Islam who will reject the US demands and requirements. Only then will Pakistan develop in every field of life including military and advance technologies according to Islam's requirements, for Islam obliges that Muslims must prepare themselves to strike fear in the heats of their enemies through their military prowess. Allah (swt) says,

(وَأَعِدُّواْ لَهُمْ مَّا ٱسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِّن قُوَّةٍ وَمِن رِّبَاطِ ٱلْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِ عَدْوَّ ٱللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ)

“And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war (tanks, planes, missiles, artillery, etc.) to threaten the enemy of Allah and your enemy.” [Al-Anfal:60]

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Shahzad Shaikh
Deputy to the Spokesman of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Pakistan