USA’s intense worry about nuclear Pakistan
Pakistan and the Nuclear Nightmare FP, By Dan Twining , September 4, 2013 –The Washington Post has revealed the intense concern of the U.S. intelligence community about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. In addition to gaps in U.S. information about nuclear weapons storage and safeguards, American analysts are worried about the risk of terrorist attacks against nuclear facilities in Pakistan as well as the risk that individual Pakistani nuclear weapons handlers could go rogue in ways that endanger unified national control over these weapons of mass destruction.
These concerns raise a wider question for a U.S. national security establishment whose worst nightmares include the collapse of the Pakistani state — with all its implications for empowerment of terrorists, a regional explosion of violent extremism, war with India, and loss of control over the country’s nuclear weapons. That larger question is: Does Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal promote the country’s unity or its disaggregation?
This is a complicated puzzle, in part because nuclear war in South Asia may be more likely as long as nuclear weapons help hold Pakistan together and embolden its military leaders to pursue foreign adventures under the nuclear umbrella. So if we argue that nuclear weapons help maintain Pakistan’s integrity as a state — by empowering and cohering the Pakistani Army — they may at the same time undermine regional stability and security by making regional war more likely………http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/09/04/pakistan_and_the_nuclear_nightmare
Pakistan’s 25,000 to protect its nuclear arsenal
Pakistan deploys 25,000-strong force to protect nuclear arsenal, Times of India PTI Jun 22, 2013, ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has raised a 25,000-strong special force and put in place extensive measures to protect and manage its strategic assets, including its nuclear arsenal, finance minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday.
“A special security force of 25,000 personnel, who have been specially trained and provided sophisticated weapons, has been deployed to protect (the nuclear assets),” Dar said, while winding up the debate on the 2013-14 budget in the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament……. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-22/pakistan/40133480_1_security-force-nuclear-arsenal-strategic-plans-division
On May 28 Pakistan gets nuclear PM Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif to be nuclear PM DC | Shafqat Ali | 16th May 2013 Islamabad: Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Nawaz Sharif wants to take over power on May 28, the day when he had ordered nuclear tests in 1998 as the Prime Minister….. May 28 holds great significance in the country’s history as well as in the political career of Mr Sharif, as in 1999, on the same day, the Sharif-led government had carried out six nuclear tests in Chaghi in response to the five nuclear blasts conducted by India, rejecting world pressure, particularly from the then U.S. President Bill Clinton. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130516/news-world/article/nawaz-sharif-be-nuclear-pm
Danger of radical Islamists and Pakistan’s nuclear weapons
Pakistan’s nuclear bombs could be hijacked by radicals, claims scientistPress Trust of India : February 01, 2013
The nuclear physicist and defence analyst estimated Pakistan’s arsenal to be similar to India’s, at around 120-130 warheads.
“Earlier, such weapons were seen just as a means of deterrence. The most dangerous development is the increasing search for fissile material as a new dimension of tactical nuclear war has entered the picture. This means the number of weapons will steadily increase,” he said……
“Whether electricity generated from nuclear sources is really efficient is a big question mark. The construction of nuclear reactors is very expensive and should an accident similar to Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011 were to occur in India or Pakistan, both countries may not have the capacity to deal with it the same way,” he added. http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/pakistan-s-nuclear-bombs-could-be-hijacked-by-radicals-claims-scientist-325021
Pakistan gets affordable solar panels, a winning strategy in Asia
“We are aiming to make sure that any person who installs the house solar system will have monthly instalments equal to their current monthly electricity bill,” said Khurram. Given the fact that grid electricity in Pakistan is cheap, but unreliable, it is likely that many will find that proposition highly tempting.
The company is confident that the venture will prove to be financially viable. Adeel Anwar, the finance director of the company, said that he expects its revenues to touch €150 million (Rs19.2 billion) within the first year. CAE officials feel they can then double that number within three years.
Renewable energy: German firm to set up first solar panel plant in Pakistan http://tribune.com.pk/story/491194/renewable-energy-german-firm-to-set-up-first-solar-panel-plant-in-pakistan/ By 
Imran Rana January 8, 2013 FAISALABAD: German renewable energy company CAE plans to invest more than €100 million (Rs12.9 billion) in setting up the first solar panel manufacturing facility in Pakistan, and the second of its kind in Asia.
In an exclusive interview with The Express Tribune, Shahzada Khurram, the only Pakistani director of the company, shared its plans of becoming a leading supplier of renewable energy equipment in the country. “Pakistan is going through one of the worst energy crises, and it is time to think about renewable energy as a way to make good money in the sector,” said Khurram. Continue reading
Pakistan’s growing arsenal
Nuclear nightmare: Book hints at disturbing conclusion that Pak’s arsenal will continue to grow without restraint India Today 2 Dec 12, This is the definitive study of the Pakistani nuclear weapons programme written by a retired brigadier of the Pakistan Army who has worked in the Strategic Plans Division, the secretariat of that country’s National Command Authority, and who has had unprecedented access its top personnel.
Its title comes from the famous statement of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, undoubtedly the key architect of programme, who had famously declared that if India makes an atom bomb, then “even if we have feed on grass and leaves”, Pakistan will follow suit. :http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/manoj-joshi-eating-grass-the-making-of-pakistani-bomb/1/235680.html
International anxiety over A Q Khan’s entry into Pakistan politics
AQ Khan: Father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb jumps into politics, Christian Science Monitor 11 Nov 12 AQ Khan, lauded by many Pakistanis for giving the country the bomb, has launched a political movement targeting the youth vote. He has been accused of selling nuclear secrets to North Korea and Iran. By Taha Siddiqui, Correspondent / November 11, 2012 ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN
The father of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb has launched a political party, which plans to participate in the next presidential election slated for early 2013. Abdul Qadeer Khan has started a 100-day campaign to tour Pakistan, starting with Kahuta, home to the first nuclear facility in Pakistan, established just outsideIslamabad, during the 1970s. Continue reading
Pakistan’s nuclear arms race
Pakistan’s hot nuclear greenhouse, THE HINDU PRAVEEN SWAMI, 4 Nov 12, The world’s fastest growing arsenal is being produced not just because of the fear of India but a strategic paranoia exacerbated by existential anxieties…… ‘CIVILISATIONAL’
DIFFERENCE Continue reading
US drones in Pakistan – counterproductive
Pakistan Drone Study Finds ‘Damaging And Counterproductive’ Consequences From U.S. Policy HUFFINGTON POST 09/25/2012 A new study conducted by law professors at Stanford and New York University contends that the U.S. use of drones to target suspected militants in Pakistan has had a “damaging and counterproductive effect” on the country and has killed far more civilians than previously acknowledged. Continue reading
Suicide bombers aimed for Pakistan nuclear plant
Three would-be nuclear power plant assaulters killed in Bhakkar blast: Police http://tribune.com.pk/story/432428/3-killed-as-explosives-go-off-in-bhakkar-house/ By Owais Jafri September 6, 2012 PUNJAB: Police recovered bodies of three suicide bombers from a building near the border of Bhakkar district about 30km away from a nuclear plant in Garot, Khushab district on Thursday. The men, DPO Saifullah Khan Khattak said were terrorists and were planning to attack the nuclear plant.
The bodies were recovered from a devastated building next to a mosque in the village 46 D/B of Ali Khel area near the Bhakkar border. The area is deserted and the mosque and the building served as temporary residence for travellers.
Police officials estimated that the terrorists may have had more companions who had left the area before the police arrived as footprints of more than 12 people along with tracks of heavy vehicles could be seen at the site of the incident.
Police had arrived at the spot almost 11 hours after there were reports of a blast and had initially denied the reports. They had blamed the media for propagating terror in the area, but later confirmed the blast.
According to details, the terrorists were killed when three suicide jackets, each carrying 0.5 kg of explosives, went off as they were planning to leave their temporary residence.
Police have identified two of the terrorists as Mawia Tariq and Omar Irfan, both belonging to Mandi Bahauddin, and have shifted the bodies to DHQ Bhakkar for post mortem.
Investigations are under way to trace the companions of the terrorists and security has been tightened at all entrances of Bhakkar and Khoshab.
Earlier, intelligence reports had suggested that the Taliban were planning an assault on the nuclear power plant in Khushab, following which security around the plant had been beefed up.
The very real threat of nuclear terrorism in Pakistan
Nuclear safety http://tribune.com.pk/story/432507/nuclear-safety/ The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2012. The scenario drawn up by think-tanks in the US, of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into militant hands, may just be more real than we think. This, of course, is a terrifying thought. So far, the possibility of such an event has been dismissed at home — but the high-level security alert put in place around Dera Ghazi Khan and the large-scale nuclear facility there, engaged mainly in mining and processing uranium, should force us to think otherwise.
The local police chief of Dera Ghazi Khan, Chaudhry Saleem, has confirmed that a heavy contingent of police and army personnel has been placed around the facility after the ISI intercepted a telephone call suggesting an attack was planned on the site housing nuclear material. Experts point out that these kinds of conversations picked up by intelligence agencies have proved to be accurate in the past.
It is also a fact that just weeks ago, a daring attack was made on the Kamra air base, which also houses our nuclear assets. The ability of the militants to enter high-security facilities is terrifying. It appears that in the latest case, the attacks are intended to act as revenge for the death of Abdul Ghaffar Qaisarani, killed in an encounter with the Dera Ghazi Khan police some time ago. Information about Qaisarani’s whereabouts had apparently come after the capture of other terrorists.
What is alarming, though, is the fact that key nuclear installations are becoming definite targets of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Despite the death of Qaisarani, which weakened the TTP considerably in the area, it is said to have been able to regroup, and in some parts of southern Punjab, is stated to be growing stronger and more dangerous. This also raises questions about why more action was not taken in the past to defeat the TTP in Punjab and prevent the southern part of the province from becoming what many say is a safe haven for militants — no less so than the tribal areas in the north. It has become essential that we deal with the pockets where extremist groups gather. The possibility of nuclear weapons somehow falling into their hands is one we simply cannot afford. We appear to be getting closer to this horrific reality by the day.
Serious threat to Pakistan nuclear facility from Taliban
Sources in the military and Punjab Police, on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that the nature of threat at the nuclear installation is ‘serious,’ with an 80% chance of occurrence.
Taliban threat; nuclear site in D G Khan cordoned off, Express Tribune, Pakistan,By Abdul Manan : September 6, 2012, LAHORE: It could be the first-ever security threat to a nuclear facility in Pakistan, and the Army and security forces are taking no risks.
Following ‘serious’ security threats from the homegrown Taliban, the Army and Punjab police have deployed heavy forces at one of Pakistan’s largest nuclear facilities in Dera Ghazi Khan (DG Khan), credible sources told The Express Tribune.
Besides the deployment inside and around the nuclear installation, three divisions in South Punjab have also been asked to launch a crackdown against banned outfits, sources added.
“DG Khan houses one of the largest nuclear facilities in the country, and has faced the first-ever serious security threat from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),” said a high ranking military officer currently serving at the installation.
According to an official who works at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, a key military and civilian fuel cycle site is located 40 kilometres from DG Khan. The site comprises uranium milling and mining operations, and a uranium hexaflouride conversion plant. Continue reading
Notorious A Q Khan to enter Pakistan politics
Pakistani scientist accused of leaking nuclear secrets starts political movement MUNIR AHMED ISLAMABAD, Globe and Mail, Pakistan — The Associated Press , Aug. 29 2012 The man who made Pakistan into a nuclear power and later admitted to leaking atomic secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya is going into politics, aiming to shake up the country ahead of national elections. Continue reading
How Safe Is Pakistan’s Nuclear Arsenal? Radio free Europe By Abubakar Siddique August 19, 2012 Militants’ storming of a Pakistani Air Force base where some nuclear warheads are reportedly stored has once again sounded the alarms about the security of the country’s atomic weapons. Continue reading
Nuclear capable missile tested by Pakistan
Pakistan tests nuclear-capable Hatf VII cruise missile By: Online | June 05, 2012 Pakistan on Tuesday test-fired another medium range cruise missile Hatf-VII (Babur) having a range of 700 km, the third successful test in a week. “It’s a multi tube, indigenously developed cruise missile Hatf-VII having a range of 700 kms,” ISPR said in a statement. “Babur Cruise Missile is a low flying, terrain hugging missile with high maneuverability, pin point accuracy and radar avoidance features. It can carry both nuclear and conventional
warheads and has stealth capabilities,” ISPR says. …..
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/05-Jun-2012/pakistan-tests-nuclear-capable-hatf-vii-cruise-missile
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