How Pakistan Got Nukes And Shared The Love"I hope Indian scientists will use the atomic force for constructive purposes, but if India is threatened, she will

inevitably try to defend herself by all means at her disposal." -Jawaharlal Nehru1

When we hear about a country with nuclear weapons, what goes through our minds? It isn’t peace and tranquility, nor safety and assurance. The feeling and thought that goes through most people’s minds is fear. The entire world now lives in fear that one bad decision could plunge the world into chaos, killing millions in mere seconds. So in turn, many powers build their own nuclear weapons to protect themselves and create their own display of power to scare others, also known as the policy of Mutually assured destruction.

One of these powers is Pakistan. Pakistan desires to show its strength to the world, just as many countries do, and are not holding back in letting the world know they have a nuclear presence within. The instability Pakistan has shown in various coups is cause for worry to the world today. Pakistan is currently involved in a civil war with Taliban insurgents, what happens if these terrorists, who have so far shown no regard for their own lives and the lives of innocents gain the power of these weapons of mass destruction? But how did a country as unstable as Pakistan, which doesn’t seem like it can protect itself from rebellion let alone fund a nuclear program, gain the power previously only held by superpowers of the world? Not without help.

Why did they want a Nuclear weapon?Why did Pakistan want nuclear weapons in the first place? Weapons that scare the

civilians of the countries who wield them, let alone their political adversaries. In the late 60’s and early 70’s Pakistan was living in fear of their hostile neighbor. India had commenced it’s nuclear program in 1967. A country set against the survival of Pakistan as a nation; was now seeking the ability to produce the most powerful weapon in the world. The Pakistani people, led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto2 sought weapons of mass destruction to ensure their survival as a people. Even seeking their production gave them a measure of safety, letting the rest of the world know that the people of Pakistan would not allow themselves to be threatened by their longtime rivals in the region. In response to the rush by India to build their own nuclear weapons the Prime

1Langewiesche , William . " The Wrath of Khan - Magazine - The Atlantic ." The Atlantic — News and Analysis on

Politics , Business , Culture , Technology , National , International , and Food – TheAtlantic . com . Nov . 2005. Web . 09 Feb . 2011. < http :// www . theatlantic . com / magazine / archive /2005/11/ the - wrath - of - khan /4333/3/>.

2"Pakistan and Weapons of Mass Destruction." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction>.

Minister of India, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was the foreign minister when he stated that, “Pakistanis would eat grass if necessary, but they would have their bomb.”3

How did they get nuclear weapons?Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons program was established in 1972 by a man named Zulfiqar

Ali Bhutto. He started the program while he was the Minister of Fuel, Power, and natural resources, and he later became President and Prime Minister. In 1974, India started testing nuclear devices which gave momentum to Pakistan’s new nuclear program. In 1975, Pakistan brought in Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan(Pictured to the Left), who was a German-trained metallurgist who had a knowledge of gas centrifuge technologies he acquired while he was at the URENCO uranium power plant located in the Netherlands. Khan also brought stolen uranium technologies from other parts of Europe and was in charge of getting the network going and to get all the materials needed in order to start nuclear weapons testing. 4

China also played an important role in developing the infrastructure of Pakistan’s nuclear program and gave them developed warheads as well. China also provided technical

support of the completion of Chasma, which was a nuclear foundation founded in Pakistan in the mid 1990s. Reports also state that Pakistan received other nuclear based materials from the soviet union and western Europe.5 The reason that Pakistan was getting away with starting their own nuclear plants and weapons under the world’s noses was because it seemed that half of the world was aiding them to do so.

Why didn’t the United States stop Pakistan’s program?It is always difficult for one country to prevent another from doing something that is

contrary to their foreign interests. This was the case with the nuclear situation in Pakistan for the United States. In the beginning the United States was taking action in preventing the development of weapons of mass destruction by Pakistan. We placed sanctions against them, which means we would not give them military or economic aid, and encouraged our Cold War allies to do the same.6 But the United States didn’t continue this course for very long, Why? Because we thought the situation in Pakistan was more urgent than the Pakistani nuclear

3Langewiesche, William. "The Wrath of Khan - Magazine - The Atlantic." The Atlantic — News and Analysis on Politics, Business, Culture, Technology, National, International, and Food – TheAtlantic.com. Nov. 2005. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2005/11/the-wrath-of-khan/4333/3/>.4"File:A.Q.Khan.jpg." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 4 July 2008. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A.Q.Khan.jpg>.5Strategic Security Project. "Pakistan Nuclear Weapons." Federation of American Scientists. 11 Dec. 2002. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/nuke/>.

problem. While we were aiding the Afghani militants in the fight against the Soviet Union we needed tough allies nearby to help us, and so we allowed them the privilege and responsibility of possessing nuclear weapons.

The United States could have continually sanctioned Pakistan, This would have slowed the progress if their nuclear program. The United States needed to look more towards the future than there current situation. They didn’t do so because they thought of the then and now, not the future. The United States could have prevented Pakistan from succeeding in the Development of Nukes. Because of these actions Pakistan is now a nuclear armed country, and possibly the most unstable one.

Why did Pakistan sell its nuclear technology? And to who?

6Strategic Security Project. "Pakistan Nuclear Weapons." Federation of American Scientists. 11 Dec. 2002. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/nuke/>.

A researcher and Key man of the nuclear projects in Pakistan, Abdul Qadeer Khan, began selling nuclear technology. Interested buyers of this nuclear power included other Middle Eastern countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, all the way to Libya and North Korea.7 In a startling confession, A.Q. Khan insisted he acted without authorization from the Pakistani Government in his actions of selling nuclear technologies to other governments.8 Khan confessed that he was not selling equipment and other nuclear supplies to countries to make money, but rather to divert the attention away from Pakistan’s evolving nuclear program. Investigators who found Khan in contempt with the laws of using nuclear power; estimate that Khan and other scientists made millions of dollars over a 30 year

career as a government scientist.9 Much of this revenue was invested in real estate throughout Pakistan and other Middle Eastern countries. Ultimately, the evidence would suggest that Pakistan was selling equipment, materials, and technology to enrich uranium, and if what Khan said is true, was not only to make money, but to divert attention away from the innovation of the Pakistani nuclear technology.10

Was A.Q. Khan a fall guy or a rogue?Pakistan did everything that it possibly could to both channel the blame, but also return

the favor and reward A.Q. Khan with the least sentence available for taking the fall for their mistake.

First off, let’s make sure that we understand what the question really is. What does it mean to be a “fall guy”? It might be more familiar to some of you to remember the phrase, “take the fall.”11 A fall guy is usually someone who is willing to take the responsibility for someone

7Lancaster, John, and Kamran Khan. "Musharraf Named in Nuclear Probe (washingtonpost.com)." Washington Post - Politics, National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - Washingtonpost.com. 3 Feb. 2004. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A6884-2004Feb2>.8Globalsecurity.org. "Weapons of Mass Destruction: A.Q. Khan." Globalsecurity.org. 8 Aug. 2005. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. <http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/pakistan/khan.htm&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHE8k9Zto866cwS3JsORhWofeqQ8A>.9Globalsecurity.org. "Weapons of Mass Destruction: A.Q. Khan." Globalsecurity.org. 8 Aug. 2005. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. <http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/pakistan/khan.htm&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHE8k9Zto866cwS3JsORhWofeqQ8A>.10Time: A.Q. Khan, Merchant of Death. 2005. Photograph. Http://mhpbooks.com. By Kelly Burdick. Melville House Publishing, 18 Feb. 2009. Web. 9 Feb. 2011. <http://mhpbooks.com/mobylives/?p=3732>.11"Fall Guy." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 31 Aug. 2010. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_guy>.

else’s actions or to take the fault. This usually comes with a positive connotation. A “rogue” happens to be the exact opposite. A rogue is someone who tends to be very unreliable or someone who is not trustworthy.

In 1976, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, joined Pakistan’s uranium enrichment program as the Project Director, which replaced the position that Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood had previously filled.12 Because Pakistan’s capability in refining uranium had advanced so quickly, people began to get curious and suspected an outside source was being used. Seven years later, A. Q. Khan was convicted of stealing blueprints by a Dutch court and was sentenced to four years in prison. The conviction was later overturned due to a legal technicality, and work continued. Khan then continued to sneak nuclear technology into the research laboratories.

Pakistani Nuclear Research Group, Led by A.Q. Khan

Years later, in February of 2004, the Pakistani government came out and said that they had a signed confession from A. Q. Khan himself with proof that he had provided North Korea, Libya, and Iran with Nuclear Weaponry and had aided in the design. He also made very clear that the Government was unknowing in these activities. A day later, his confession was shown across National television. Only one day later, on February 5, 2004, President Musharraf pardoned Khan and placed him under house arrest.

Because of this pardoning situation, it makes one believe that Pakistan was in great favor of the work that A. Q. Khan had provided to them, but as soon as the scandal was uncovered, Pakistan was quick to channel the blame onto someone else. This makes Khan a “fall guy.” Khan

12"Abdul Qadeer Khan." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 5 Feb. 2011. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Qadeer_Khan>.

took the blame and made a public confession about his proliferation ring, but the Pakistani Government simply gave him a “slap on the wrist.” This shows that the Pakistani Government is scolding Khan for his faults and to keep the press down, but are giving him the least sentence possible to show their gratitude for the service that he provided their country.

How much of a threat does Pakistan pose today?

China played a major role in the development of Pakistan's nuclear infrastructure, especially when increasingly stringent export controls in western countries made it difficult for Pakistan to acquire materials and technology elsewhere. According to a 2001 Department of Defense report, China has supplied Pakistan with nuclear materials and expertise and has provided critical assistance in the construction of Pakistan's nuclear facilities.13

Not only has China played a role, but North Korea has also.14 The technology that North Korea provided Pakistan with helped them to develop better delivery systems and to increase the range that Pakistan can target. In return for the better delivery systems, Pakistan provided North Korea with enriched Uranium and other resources needed to create Nuclear warheads. U.S. intelligence officials claimed Pakistan was a key supplier of uranium enrichment technology to North Korea.

13United States of America: Department of Defense. "Proliferation: Threat and Response."Google Docs. Jan. 2001. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B9HSaDk5GC-NMzIyY2E1NmYtM2JiZi00NDQ4LWI1OGYtNDA0ZWRiNmE0N2Ri&hl=en&authkey=CIGapZ0P>.14"CRS Report for Congress." Google Docs. 11 Mar. 2004. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B9HSaDk5GC-NNmRhYWNhMTAtYzc3Yi00M2E2LWI0YjEtZDgxMjNmMjEzMDIy&hl=en&authkey=CNS7wdcG>.

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The U.S. has not been very friendly to Pakistan on this issue. On several occasions, under the authority of amendments to the Foreign Assistance Act, the U.S. has imposed sanctions on Pakistan, cutting off economic and military aid as a result of its pursuit of nuclear weapons. However, the U.S. suspended sanctions each time developments in Afghanistan made Pakistan a strategically important country. I.e. The Cold War and the war on terrorism.

What Problems Could Arise From This?Pakistan is not afraid to make deals with North Korea, Iran, or China. These groups are

all countries that the US does not want to have nuclear powers. North Korea and China already

15"CRS Report for Congress." Google Docs. 11 Mar. 2004. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B9HSaDk5GC-NNmRhYWNhMTAtYzc3Yi00M2E2LWI0YjEtZDgxMjNmMjEzMDIy&hl=en&authkey=CNS7wdcG>.

have them and with Pakistan's help; Iran could obtain nuclear weapons. Not only could US opposition gain nuclear capabilities, but terrorist cells could also.

The worst case scenario for the U.S. is the possibility of terrorist groups such as the Taliban and Al Qaeda gaining control of Nuclear weapons.16 Pakistan’s instability and terrorist activity pose a direct threat to global security. The Taliban is gaining control and power throughout Pakistan. The government is unstable and has been overthrown by the military in a coup d'état multiple times. The Taliban would gain control of a nuclear bomb if they overthrew the Pakistani government. As the Pakistani government is losing control in their own country, the U.S. is preparing for the worst. They have formed a contingency plan to obtain the nukes if Pakistan falls.17

Not only could the Taliban gain a nuclear bomb; they could gain a thermonuclear warhead.18 A thermonuclear warhead is also better known by U.S. citizens as a Hydrogen bomb or H-Bomb. A hydrogen bomb is, by far, the most destructive weapon that mankind has ever invented. It is the most powerful type of nuclear bomb, as much as 25,000 times the yield of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.19 The hydrogen bomb disintegrated a whole island when it was first tested. Right now, Pakistan is attempting to create a thermonuclear warhead and is getting very close to finishing it; even as the Taliban gains ground in the Civil War.

The following pictures show Pakistan’s expansion of their nuclear capabilities. The blue pictures are before and orange pictures are after.20 As you can see in the following pictures; Pakistan is a large threat to the worlds stability. Pakistan has played a crucial role in the development of WMD’s for North Korea and Iran. Not only has Pakistan helped US opposition, they are a source of hope for terrorists. A source for a nuclear bomb and facilities to use them and then create more.

16Urban, Mark. "BBC - Newsnight: Mark Urban: Pakistan's 'loose Nukes'" BBC - Homepage. 11 June 2009. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/markurban/2009/06/pakistans_loose_nukes.html>.17Urban, Mark. "BBC - Newsnight: Mark Urban: Pakistan's 'loose Nukes'" BBC - Homepage. 11 June 2009. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/markurban/2009/06/pakistans_loose_nukes.html>.18Hodge, Nathan. "Sats Show Pakistan Super-Sizing Its Nuclear Weapons Complex | Danger Room | Wired.com." Wired.com. 20 May 2009. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/05/sats-show-pakistan-super-sizing-its-nuclear-weapons-complex/>.19Anissimov, Michael. "What Is a Hydrogen Bomb?" WiseGEEK: Clear Answers for Common Questions. 23 Jan. 2011. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-hydrogen-bomb.htm>.20Hodge, Nathan. "Sats Show Pakistan Super-Sizing Its Nuclear Weapons Complex | Danger Room | Wired.com." Wired.com. 20 May 2009. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/05/sats-show-pakistan-super-sizing-its-nuclear-weapons-complex/>.

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21Hodge, Nathan. "Sats Show Pakistan Super-Sizing Its Nuclear Weapons Complex | Danger Room | Wired.com." Wired.com. 20 May 2009. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/05/sats-show-pakistan-super-sizing-its-nuclear-weapons-complex/>.

22Hodge, Nathan. "Sats Show Pakistan Super-Sizing Its Nuclear Weapons Complex | Danger Room | Wired.com." Wired.com. 20 May 2009. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/05/sats-show-pakistan-super-sizing-its-nuclear-weapons-complex/>.

23Hodge, Nathan. "Sats Show Pakistan Super-Sizing Its Nuclear Weapons Complex | Danger Room | Wired.com." Wired.com. 20 May 2009. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/05/sats-show-pakistan-super-sizing-its-nuclear-weapons-complex/>.

In ConclusionThe world couldn’t have prevented Pakistan from developing and spreading nuclear

weapons. Pakistan and many other countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya and North Korea now have nuclear weapons thanks to A.Q. Khan and his team of scientists. Thankfully none of these countries have used their nuclear devices. They are more of a deterrent, than for actual use. Now Pakistan is trying to gain the technology to build a thermonuclear warhead, the U.S. could face serious problems if they succeed. The bigger threat comes from the Taliban and other terrorist organization that are in this part of the world. If they manage to get their hands on a nuclear weapon, they could cause serious damage to which ever country they target with it. They have no regard for their own lives or the lives of innocent people. Hopefully Pakistan will handle this technology carefully, and hopefully it will never get used.

Sources and Resources

● Strategic Security Project. "Pakistan Nuclear Weapons." Federation of American Scientists. 11 Dec. 2002. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/pakistan/nuke/>.

● Urban, Mark. "BBC - Newsnight: Mark Urban: Pakistan's 'loose Nukes'" BBC - Homepage. 11 June 2009. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/markurban/2009/06/pakistans_loose_nukes.html>.

24Hodge, Nathan. "Sats Show Pakistan Super-Sizing Its Nuclear Weapons Complex | Danger Room | Wired.com." Wired.com. 20 May 2009. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/05/sats-show-pakistan-super-sizing-its-nuclear-weapons-complex/>.

● Anissimov, Michael. "What Is a Hydrogen Bomb?" WiseGEEK: Clear Answers for Common Questions. 23 Jan. 2011. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-hydrogen-bomb.htm>.

● Hodge, Nathan. "Sats Show Pakistan Super-Sizing Its Nuclear Weapons Complex | Danger Room | Wired.com." Wired.com. 20 May 2009. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/05/sats-show-pakistan-super-sizing-its-nuclear-weapons-complex/>.

● Lancaster, John, and Kamran Khan. "Musharraf Named in Nuclear Probe (washingtonpost.com)." Washington Post - Politics, National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - Washingtonpost.com. 3 Feb. 2004. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A6884-2004Feb2>.

● Globalsecurity.org. "Weapons of Mass Destruction: A.Q. Khan." Globalsecurity.org. 8 Aug. 2005. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. <http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/pakistan/khan.htm&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHE8k9Zto866cwS3JsORhWofeqQ8A>.

● "Pakistan and Weapons of Mass Destruction." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction>.

● "File:A.Q.Khan.jpg." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 4 July 2008. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:A.Q.Khan.jpg>.

● Time: A.Q. Khan, Merchant of Death. 2005. Photograph. Http://mhpbooks.com. By Kelly Burdick. Melville House Publishing, 18 Feb. 2009. Web. 9 Feb. 2011. <http://mhpbooks.com/mobylives/?p=3732>.