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| 09 June 2004 | Wednesday | 20 Rabi-us-Saani 1425 |
Increased US role proposed for nuke crisis management
ISLAMABAD, June 8: A former army official associated with Pakistan's nuclear command structure has recommended increased US role for nuclear crisis management between Pakistan and India, suggesting the US be also given access to nuclear sites.
The suggestion came from Brig (retired) Feroze Hasan Khan at a seminar on "Prospects of peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia", organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), here on Tuesday.
Brig Feroze Hasan Khan, who took an early retirement from his last appointment as director of arms control and disarmament affairs in the Strategic Plans Division of the Joint Staff Headquarters, gave the suggestion after working in a number of US think tanks, some of them providing critical intelligence input to the US administration on Pakistan's nuclear programme.
In his presentation on "Evolving nuclear stability in South Asia," Brig (retired) Khan suggested that the US might consult with "India and Pakistan regarding generic physical protection and material accounting practices of nuclear facilities."
He said another step might include the US sharing with Pakistan and India sophisticated vaults and access doors, portal command equipment and possible advanced circuitry to prevent accidental nuclear launch.
Though the former insider of Pakistan's nuclear secrets acknowledged the limitations of his suggestion, he nevertheless said the cooperative measures could be carefully designed if the suggestion was to be implemented.
It is to be mentioned that foreign office spokesman, Masood Khan, had strongly rebutted on Monday the statement of US presidential candidate John Kerry who had said that if he took over power in the US, he would have more control of Islamabad's nuclear programme and strategic assets. The foreign office spokesman had said Pakistan would not allow any other country to take control of its nuclear programme.
Brig Khan also suggested the possibility of formalizing non-deployment of nuclear forces between India and Pakistan as part of non-deployed deterrence. He said Pakistan had offered to formalize such an arrangement in the past but the offer was rejected by India.
India and Pakistan must enhance communication arrangements and establish Nuclear Risk Reduction Centres in their capitals, he added. Dr Pervez Iqbal Cheema, in his presentation on "Kashmir: A Way Forward", said in view of the complex nature of the dispute, it was imperative that both India and Pakistan explore the possibilities of employing a face saving device that could produce a win-win situation.
To pave the way for such a device, Dr Cheema said both India and Pakistan need to publicly express willingness to even step down from their declared positions if the negotiations so warranted.
Clarification
ISLAMABAD, June 10: Brig (retired) Feroze Hasan, while explaining the remarks attributed to him in a report titled "US role for nuke crisis management proposed" published in Dawn of June 9, has claimed that he did not make any assertion which suggested that the US be given access to nuclear sites, and recommended an increased US role for crisis management between India and Pakistan.
He claimed that he had explained several paradoxes and dilemmas confronted in the management of nuclear capability including that of "technology versus human." Brig Hasan said he had actually cautioned that the generic technology often proposed to be made available for South Asia by Western countries in public literature should be carefully examined.
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