DATE=4/25/98
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-230235
TITLE=PAK-INDIA NUCLEAR (L)
BYLINE=ALI ZAIDI
DATELINE=ISLAMABAD
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: PAKISTAN HAS ACCUSED INDIA OF PROCEEDING ON A PATH
TOWARDS OPEN DEPLOYMENT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS. AS ALI ZAIDI REPORTS
FROM ISLAMABAD -- THE PAKISTANI REACTION COMES IN RESPONSE TO
COMMENTS BY A SENIOR INDIAN POLICY ADVISOR THAT NEW DELHI COULD
INTRODUCE NUCLEAR WEAPONS INTO ITS ARSENAL WITHOUT CARRYING OUT
ANY TESTS.
TEXT: PAKISTAN'S FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESMAN -- TARIQ ALTAF -- SAYS
(SATURDAY) INDIA IS GRADUALLY ACKNOWLEDGING ITS NUCLEAR
CAPABILITY TO BE ABLE TO DEPLOY WEAPONS -- WITHOUT CREATING A
FUROR IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
MR. ALTAF WAS REACTING TO COMMENTS ATTRIBUTED TO INDIA'S FORMER
HIGH COMMISSIONER TO SRI LANKA -- NAGENDRA NATH JHA. MR. JHA SAYS
INDIA COULD INDUCT NUCLEAR WEAPONS INTO ITS MILITARY ARSENAL
WITHOUT TESTING.
SUCH A MOVE, ACCORDING TO MR. JHA, WOULD CIRCUMVENT INTERNATIONAL
SANCTIONS WHICH TARGET COUNTRIES PERFORMING NUCLEAR TESTS. MR.
JHA IS A SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE GOVERNING BHARATA JANATA PARTY IN
INDIA.
THE PAKISTANI FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESMAN SAYS THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY MUST PAY GREATER ATTENTION TO THIS STATEMENT.
// ALTAF ACT //
THE OPEN REFERENCE TO INDUCTION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
WITHOUT TESTING IS YET ANOTHER ESCALATORY STEP TOWARDS
OVERT NUCLEARIZATION. THIS STATEMENT SHOULD BE SEEN FOR
WHAT IT IS: THAT IS, AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BY INDIA OF ITS
CLANDESTINE POSSESSION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS THAT IT NOW
INTENDS TO BRING OUT FROM THE BASEMENT.
// END ACT //
PAKISTAN HAS PREVIOUSLY CRITICIZED THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
FOR NOT BEING ACTIVE ENOUGH IN DISCOURAGING INDIA'S NUCLEAR
AMBITIONS, ESPECIALLY THOSE ESPOUSED BY THE HINDU NATIONALIST
B-J-P GOVERNMENT.
MR. ALTAF WARNS THAT INDIA'S DEPLOYMENT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS WOULD
SHATTER PROSPECTS OF PROMOTING NON-PROLIFERATION IN SOUTH ASIA.
HE SAYS PAKISTAN WILL TAKE WHATEVER STEPS ARE NECESSARY TO ENSURE
ITS SECURITY.
BOTH PAKISTAN AND INDIA ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE ACQUIRED THE
CAPABILITY TO BUILD NUCLEAR WEAPONS, BUT BOTH COUNTRIES DENY
HAVING PRODUCED ANY WEAPONS.
PAKISTAN HAS REFUSED TO SIGN THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY
UNLESS ITS NEIGHBOR SIGNS AS WELL. INDIA INSISTS IT WILL NOT
ABANDON ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM UNLESS OTHER WORLD POWERS AGREE TO
GET RID OF THEIR OWN NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITIES.
/// REST OPT ///
THE TWO COUNTRIES HAVE FOUGHT THREE WARS IN THE LAST FIFTY YEARS,
TWO OF THEM OVER THE DISPUTED HIMALAYAN STATE OF KASHMIR.
U-S FOREIGN POLICY EXPERTS SAY THE LONG RUNNING DISPUTE IS A
MAJOR POTENTIAL NUCLEAR FLASHPOINT.
PAKISTAN THIS MONTH SUCCESSFULLY TESTED ITS GHAURI MISSILE, NAMED
AFTER A 17TH CENTURY MUSLIM CONQUEROR WHO DEFEATED HIS HINDU
RIVAL IN INDIA. THE GHAURI IS CAPABLE OF CARRYING A NUCLEAR
WARHEAD AND THE MISSILE TEST HAS RAISED FEARS OF A FULL-FLEDGED
WEAPONS RACE IN THE SUB-CONTINENT. (SIGNED)
NEB/AZ/JO
25-Apr-98 9:42 AM EDT (1342 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
