Brig. Agha Ahmad Gul (R), Chief Consultant and Senior Research Fellow BTTN, thanked the distinguished guest speakers for putting in their energy to help BTTN conduct this Webinar successfully to commemorate the Youm-a-Takbir. He added that by conducting 5 simultaneous Fission-Type nuclear tests, Pakistan became a known nuclear power on 28 May, 1998. The title of this day reaffirms that Allah is the Greatest.
Concluding Remarks
It is the fact that nuclear weapons gave Pakistan the ultimate military muscle which the adversary, India acquired in 1974 by detonating a so-called peaceful bomb, and then it detonated 4 weapon-type nuclear devices on 11 May 1998.
Summarizing the talk by highlighting key points raised by the guest speakers, Dr Nasir expertly explained the concept of nuclear technology by simplifying it, development of nuclear technology in the world and the sub-continent while giving the historic genesis. Dr Tughral very well explained the connotations behind the terms smiling Buddha and Armageddon and that Armageddon is not unexpected from India. Dr Abbasi rightly highlighted the nuclearizing and im-balancing posture of India which constantly challenges the strategic stability.
To understand the genesis of Pakistan’s development of nuclear weapons, understanding the historic developments in the subcontinent, during the colonial-era and thereafter, and the knowledge of contemporary Art of War is necessary. Historically, although the Muslims ruled various parts of India for nearly 800 years, they never tried to convert the Hindu by force. Resultantly, Muslims were about 24% of British India in 1928. They apprehended that unless the Hindu enshrined Constitutional guarantees, they would not be allowed to live peacefully by a Hindu majority. Time has proven their apprehensions beyond any doubt. Given the demands of the Muslim leadership and uncontrollable communal riots during 1930-47, Pakistan had to be created by the parting Colonial British but they left several conflicts behind. The creation of a new dominion within one month, no transfer of assets, no time for establishing Central Government of the new country, and breaking up Muslim majority areas to favor Hindu leaders, was without doubt a grave dishonesty of the British. The British hoped that Pakistan would not be able to survive. They were proven wrong.
An unseen Instrument of Accession by Raja of Kashmir, a Muslim majority state, made Mountbatten, Viceroy-turned Governor General of India, land Indian army in Sri Nagar in 1948, which started the territorial dispute still existing with hardened attitude on both sides. Breakup of Bengal, later secession of East Pakistan through military action of India, Boundary Commission’s allocation of Muslim Majority Tehsils to India in Punjab and unsettled Kachh areas boundary in the south, illegal occupation of Siachen Glaciers’ areas are major conflicts which resulted in Wars of 1948, 1965, 1971 and several skirmishes thereafter. All the conflicts stay on due to India’s hegemonic attitude.
Detonation of India’s Nuclear Device in 1974, made Pakistan’s leadership realize that soon India would have nuclear weapons and against them, no conventional armed forces would be able to defend. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the then Prime Minister, tried to seek guarantees from the US, against India’s apprehended nuclear threat, being a Member State of CENTO, but was refused. That made him utter that famous sentence that, “We shall eat grass but we will become a Nuclear Weapon state to counter India.” India’s has been continuously giving belligerent statements. BJP’s President Atal Bihari Vajpai stated on May 21, 1998, that Pakistan had no nuclear weapons and that India should call its bluff by attacking Pakistan’s Azad Kashmir. The aggressive statements of BJP in India stopped after Pakistan carried out 5 Nuclear Tests on May 28, 1998.Indian military leadership, which cannot be ignorant of the effects of a nuclear exchange, has been making totally irresponsible statements that they will ‘fight under the nuclear threshold”. Other than minor skirmishes and artillery duels, there can be no war under the nuclear threshold. Unless the bigger country, India launches a first strike, a nuclear exchange can be started by the smaller state. Like all violence, it will expand in matter of minutes, with no one left to fight with. War is primarily meant to dominate the will of the adversary’s politico-military leadership. Conventional war slowly progresses through tactical battles, maneuvers, killing enemy’s soldiers in large numbers and capturing enemy’s vital grounds. ‘India is seven times bigger than Pakistan. In every war in the past, India could never achieve its strategic objectives and its offensives every-time whimpered away in stalemates. A seven times smaller armed force being able to create a stalemate, is indeed, defeat of the bigger forces’ Nuclear weapons however, are different. They directly attack the strategic levels and can indeed, even decapitate in a preemptive strike the politico-military leadership in a matter of minutes while the traditional armed forces of both sides are still intact. The only defence against nuclear weapons is the very threat of nuclear weapons to the adversary. The ability to launch a second strike from ground, air and sea is the only meaningful counter-attack. It is also meant to deter India not to dare attempt attacking Pakistan with nuclear weapons. Yom-a-Takbir, May 28, 1998 gave us this capability. Pakistan has a Masada mentality; we will not capitulate. If you try to subject us to attacks by nuclear weapons, we will retaliate with everything we have. It’s the Mutually Assured Destruction. Pakistan has the capability and the will to retaliate if our existence as a socio-political entity is threatened. Pakistan’s military leadership is fully aware of various strategies which India can employ and how to respond without fail. Let no one in India stay in any doubt. Additionally, one major byproduct of nuclear capability has been the ability to use it in the civil sector for socio-economic development in numerous fields especially the energy sector.
To conclude,
‘Youm-e-Takbir, has been a milestone in Pakistan’s history. It speaks volumes for the determination of the people of Pakistan not to submit to India’s hegemony, preserve its Independence and the remarkable genius to be able to master the most difficult technology, nuclear both for war and peace. Governments in Pakistan have been changing, military and scientists’ leadership has been changing over the past half a century, but the national aims and objectives have been preserved by all’ Pakistan Zindabad!