US has the handle on Pak nukes: NBC (US takes control of Pakistani nukes)

The Times of India ^ | SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 08, 2004 12:05:56 AM | CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA, TIMES NEWS NETWORK

[AM2000]

WASHINGTON: The United States has been working secretly with Pakistan to protect its nuclear weapons from falling in the hands of terrorists or rogue commanders, NBC Television reported on Friday.

According to the Network, a group of American nuclear experts called the US Liaison Committee is "spending millions to safeguard Pakistan's more than 40 nuclear weapons." They meet at least every two months and are helping Pakistan develop state-of-the-art security — including secret authorization codes for the arsenal.

In effect, this would mean the US has virtually taken control of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, one reason why Bush administration officials seem to be so sanguine, rather than agitated, about Pakistan's proliferation activities exposed recently.

Asked if the US was not sending a wrong message to proliferators around the world with its blasé attitude to developments in Pakistan, especially the pardoning of A Q Khan, Secretary of State Colin Powell's smug response was "Well, the biggest is now gone, so I think that is a remarkable success… so we don't have to worry about proliferation from Khan or his network."

Powell said he expected to be talking to Musharraf over the next several days "to make sure that there is a full understanding of what the Khan network has done over the years so that there are no remnants of it left, and then there's no possibility of further proliferating activities coming out of that network."

[thoughtomator]

This is nothing new... we've had control of the Paki nukes since 9/11, as we made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

[Southack]

You watch, if this thread heats up we'll see posters "blaming Bush" for spending too much and/or for not doing enough...even though we're talking about securing the freaking *nuclear* arsenal of a cooperating ally in the war on terror.

[okie01]

Somehow, I suspect that Bush and his national security team were way out front of the curve on this one.

Another good reason not to have a Democrat in office...

[SierraWasp]

I'm watchin! Do ya want me ta "bait" a few of 'em? (grin)

[angkor]

Somehow, I suspect that Bush and his national security team were way out front of the curve on this one.

Yeah, I recall a similar story way back around the time of the Afghanistan invasion.

It's not as if they've been sitting in the Oval Office this week saying "Geez! We forgot all about those Pakistan nukes!"

[duk]

Reading the news about Libya's cooperation, I'd say there has been some serious arm twisting over the past 4 months. As far as control over the nukes, that is assuming to much. The Paki's would never allow their ace to be controlled while India is still alive. And by the way, the Paki "people" are not our allies! They hate us. Mussaraf is just playing along while it serves him.

[livius]

Yes, one of the things I have liked all along about Bush & Co. is that they actually take action on things - without waiting for the press to tell them to do so.

Of course, this has PO'd the press, but heck, that's life.

[Lazamataz]

Very interesting.

[swarthyguy]

Taken at face value, this is potentially a bomb for the General. Now Mush will have to deny this. This won't play well domestically at all, across all strata of society.

But, would Pakistani pride allow this scale of intrusion into its crown jewels; the repository of all their panislami visions, their Viagra of Jihad?

And, wouldn't the US want to give this image that it exercises control even if this commission had no real power at all.

IMO, we've had knowledge of and increasing but incremental control steadily after 9.11.

Perhaps it really is jihadi bait. We wouldn't offer nukes as jihadi bait unless we were certain of protecting them. (Thanks to BootHill for that one....

But what if there are more warheads than we think we know. "We don't know what we don't know".

IF AQ Khan got away with so much.....what's on that videotape that his daughter in Baghdad has? Doubt they'll ever show that on Aljazeera.

Pakistan, clear as mud.

[Boot Hill]

thoughtomator:   "This is nothing new... we've had control of the Paki nukes since 9/11, as we made them an offer they couldn't refuse."

Wishful thinking, at best.

Nobody walked into Pakistan and laid down the law to Musharraf and told him to hand over his nukes. After 9-11, our relationship was so tenuous, that we were lucky to get permission just to cross Pakistani territory in order to enter and attack Afghanistan. Musharraf wouldn't have dared do what you suggest for several reasons.

Pakistan is a major hotbed of Islamist radicals that extends all the way up to the highest levels of Musharraf's own military officer corps and intelligence service. It was these organizations that were largely responsible for the Taliban coming to power in Afghanistan, in the first place. This was the reality Musharraf faced when he took over the government in 1999.

Over the intervening 2-1/2 years since 9-11, Musharraf, with clandestine help from the U.S., has made such great progress in arresting al Qa'ida terrorists and ridding his military and intelligence services of the Islamists radicals that last September, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qa'ida's second in command, issued a fatwa calling for Musharraf's assassination. They were nearly successful with two attempts made in December. Musharraf needs the U.S. now, since many of the terrorists we chased out of Afghanistan have infested his own country and with the Islamists radicals that riddle his government, he knows he's got a tiger by the tail and we were the only country strong enough and willing to come to his aid.

This whole Pakistani operation to rid that country of terrorists and Islamist radical control, depended on the U.S. getting some measure of control over the Pakistani nuclear stockpile. Such control has been our fall-back plan in case the Islamist/terrorist elements were ultimately successful in overthrowing or assassinating Musharraf.

That control over the nukes damn sure didn't come easily or by simple demand of the U.S. The relationship the U.S. currently has with Musharraf and Pakistan is the product of months and even years of delicate political, diplomatic and intelligence, back-channel efforts (and a few black ops).

This article is good and welcome news.

--Boot Hill

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting your excellent summary on what is indeed good news:

"Over the intervening 2-1/2 years since 9-11, Musharraf, with clandestine help from the U.S., has made such great progress in arresting al Qa'ida terrorists and ridding his military and intelligence services of the Islamists radicals that last September, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qa'ida's second in command, issued a fatwa calling for Musharraf's assassination. They were nearly successful with two attempts made in December. Musharraf needs the U.S. now, since many of the terrorists we chased out of Afghanistan have infested his own country and with the Islamists radicals that riddle his government, he knows he's got a tiger by the tail and we were the only country strong enough and willing to come to his aid.

"This whole Pakistani operation to rid that country of terrorists and Islamist radical control, depended on the U.S. getting some measure of control over the Pakistani nuclear stockpile. Such control has been our fall-back plan in case the Islamist/terrorist elements were ultimately successful in overthrowing or assassinating Musharraf.

"That control over the nukes damn sure didn't come easily or by simple demand of the U.S. The relationship the U.S. currently has with Musharraf and Pakistan is the product of months and even years of delicate political, diplomatic and intelligence, back-channel efforts (and a few black ops).

"This article is good and welcome news."

[Grampa Dave]

I'm sure that their screens will show that we have posted positive on this thread, that will attract the gloomers, doomers, spinners, liars and haters of GW posing as conservatives on FR.

[F16Fighter]

A little paranoid, don't you think?