Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has said that he has "no reason to doubt" the Pakistan government's statement that the country's nuclear weapons are secured. The highly important member of the government, who was responding to questions on an Indian TV network, was the first Indian leader to admit that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal was in safe hands and there was no cause for worry right now.
While he is likely to be put on the mat by the jingoistic sections of the Indian media, this is the position that Pakistan has maintained all along, rejecting concerns expressed by certain Western officials and a section of media as uncalled for. Conscious of its obligations as a nuclear power state, Pakistan established a Nuclear Command Authority in 2000, within one year of the country's successful tests of nuclear weapons.
The Control and Command mechanism put in place comprises the National Command Authority (NCA), Strategic Plans Division (SPD), and Strategic Forces Command (SFC) with strictly defined responsibilities. The NCA is responsible for policy formulation, employment and development of strategic systems, as well as for the security of the strategic assets.
Till recently, this apex decision-making body was under the chairmanship of the President with the Prime Minister as its Vice-Chairman. Last month, President Zardari handed over the chairmanship of the NCA to the Prime Minister. The NCA has two committees, the employment control committee, and the development control committee, functioning separately for policy formulation, employment and development aspects, respectively. The SPD is the Secretariat for the NCA.
The Foreign Minister is the deputy chairman of the employment control committee, whose politico-military composition includes, as members, the Minister for Defence, Minister for Interior, Minister for Finance, Chairman JCSC, COAS/VCOAS, CNS, CAS, and DG SPD as its Secretary. The SPD has an elaborate security division, which includes a counter-intelligence network to safeguard the activities of strategic organisations.
It also has, in place, a dedicated multi-layered security apparatus to safeguard strategic assets. Personnel reliability is a high-priority area to which necessary resources are allocated. Pakistan's command and control system is thus based on a central authoritative system. The conditions rule out any accidental launches or misuse. It is also ensured that there is no overlapping of military, political and scientific set-ups, while the nuclear material is kept under multi-layered custodial control.
Lastly, Pakistan does not have its nuclear capability in the Push Button State. Hence the possibility of some rogue element taking control is simply out of the question. The country has taken all required measures to ensure that there is no proliferation.
It took strict notice of the activities of Dr Khan, removing him from the job and restricting his movements. Two nuclear scientists, who after retirement had formed NGOs to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees, were arrested and subjected to prolonged and intense questioning. With foolproof arrangements in place, Pakistan believes that the concerns being expressed are prompted by questionable motives.
Unlike India, Pakistan is not haunted by illusions of grandeur, which led New Delhi to conduct its first nuclear test in 1974. Pakistan did not go for nuclear weapons till New Delhi conducted nuclear tests in May 1998. It was only then that Islamabad, suffering under crippling sanctions that did not allow it to import the conventional weapons badly needed for national defence, decided to go for nuclear weapons.
Pakistan being an energy-deficient country, however, badly needs nuclear power to fulfil its growing development needs. While hydel power is the cheapest form of energy, Islamabad's ability to construct mega-water reservoirs is constrained by political controversies. Thus Kalabagh Dam could not be constructed due to opposition from the smaller provinces, particularly Sindh.
The country has started work on Bhasha Dam but it would take seven years before the project starts producing power. It has vast reserves of coal but concerns about pollution may not allow it to make extensive use of the reserves. Oil-based energy is costly and dependence on it is liable to make Pakistani products uncompetitive. Pakistan is thus left with no choice other than relying on nuclear energy. Islamabad has received invaluable assistance from China.
The nuclear plants set up with Chinese help are, however, of smaller capacity. Washington supports import of electricity from Central Asia. With uncertain conditions prevailing in Afghanistan, the option loses much of its charm.
The US has promised to help Pakistan, but has flatly refused to enter into a nuclear pact with Pakistan, similar to the one made with India. Unless Pakistan is able to acquire nuclear technology and material, as is the case with India, its long-term energy problems will continue to persist.