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India-Pakistan
Bhutto worried about safety of Pak nuclear weapons
2007-11-09
(PTI) Claiming that there were officials in President Pervez Musharraf's administration who are associated with extremists, former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto has said she is worried about the safety and security of the country's nuclear weapons. In an interview to Fox News, Bhutto was asked to comment on apprehensions in the US over the fate of Pakistan's nuclear warheads if the situation deteriorates in the country. "I have the same worry myself. I was shocked when General Musharraf swore in two new judges of the supreme court who had given compensation to the mutineers of the Red Mosque. We had a mutiny in the summer where Red Mosque militants tried to take over the city of Islamabad. And those mutineers were given the complex back," Bhutto replied.

Expressing "shock" at the appointment of the judges, Bhutto said "every time we arrest a terrorist or an extremist, these judges are going to free those terrorists". Claiming that she had worked out a roadmap with Musharraf for returning Pakistan to democracy, Bhutto urged the international community to pressure the general to abide by the terms of the agreement. "I feel that Pakistan is in danger of falling to the extremists; dictatorship has failed to contain extremism. I believe the answer lies in democracy," she said.

The Pakistan People's Party leader accused Musharraf of being worried more about the "influence of spreading democracy than he has been worried about terrorism".

"Right now we are ignoring the real war. And the real war is to save Pakistan by saving democracy and using the strength of the people to turn the tide against extremism," Bhutto said.
Posted by:Fred

#12  Pakistan is India's Mexico. But do you think the Mexicans would give up the bomb if they had it?
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2007-11-09 15:20  

#11  the weapons are a tool in her rhetorical arsenal to get international attention.

Still, there isn't much harm in her bringing up this immensely critical aspect of the current unrest in Pakistan. As is par for the course—and just as with Iran—most of the outside world continues to pointedly ignore how very important this issue is.

I also agree with AlanC, in that their detente with India really wouldn't be much affected by Pakistan's loss of its nuclear arsenal. India is more focused upon becoming a major player in the global economic community. I sincerely doubt they would jeopardize such an important effort by swatting at a fly cockroach like Pakistan. Not that Pakistan doesn't deserve to be crushed utterly for their continuous terrorist attacks upon India, I just think New Delhi—quite sensibly—has much higher goals and priorities. It speaks volumes regarding typical Muslim insecurity in general—and Pakistan's culpability in particular—that Islamabad's concerns remain so centered upon nuclear deterrence of any retaliation for their incessant meddling cross-border in both Kashmir and India, not to mention Afghanistan.
Posted by: Zenster   2007-11-09 15:13  

#10  LH,

This is the kind of thing that annoys me (not what you said but why they think it).

India is no threat to Pakiland. Yes they have nukes. There's another big player in the area that India has to consider.

Paki worrying about Indian nukes makes as much sense as Cuba worrying about US nukes.
Posted by: AlanC   2007-11-09 14:51  

#9  Except India right next door has nukes (and had them before Paki), and everybody in Pakistan is aware of that, and the moment she moved to drop the nukes shed be out on her behind, and would have to flee for her life.

It isnt like Libya, really.
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2007-11-09 12:49  

#8  If she were really, really afraid, she would ask the U.S. to take the entire program -- lock, stock, and the original construction instructions in Chinese -- off her hands, like Colonel Qaddafi did a few years ago.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-11-09 12:42  

#7  If she's really afarid of the safety of Pak nuke weapons she should sell them as soon as she has control of power. But she's not, the weapons are a tool in her rhettorical arsonal to get international attention.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2007-11-09 11:53  

#6  I've been waiting for an urban AlQ offensive in Pakland.

So far not much on that (although AlQ and affiliates are doing well in the border areas).

If AlQ doesn't begin an offensive, it could mean that they are weaker than I thought or that they are holding off the offensive hoping that Bhutto and Musharraf will weaken each other (holding off would also require good command and control of their forces).
Posted by: mhw   2007-11-09 10:01  

#5  in 1990 the USSR HAD just fallen apart, after a period of US-Paki cooperation, US cooperation with the regime of Zia al Haq, far more Islamist than Bhutto. One could hardly expect Bhutto to be less enthusiastic about jihadis than McFarlane, Schultz, Charlie Wilson, et al.

And of course Afghanistan DID fall apart, and it WAS dangerous to Pakistan, and using the taliban to restore order and Pakistani dominance, certainly must have looked like a good idea. When the Taliban came out as fascists, and took in OBL, Bhutto was no longer in office.

Is she snow white? Of course not. But her points are worth looking at on their own.
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2007-11-09 09:51  

#4  foams at the mouth

Ha! Mad cow disease, I suspected as much.
Posted by: twobyfour   2007-11-09 09:13  

#3  She is also miffed at the Pak nuclear establishment.

When she was Prime Minister, she was denied access to information about Kahuta. The Saudi Prince Sultan was by contrast given a guided tour of the facility.

Posted by: john frum   2007-11-09 09:08  

#2  Yep, one of the creators of the Taliban playing holier than thou.

There is a speech from 1990 where she literally foams at the mouth, threatening India, calling on Indian Muslims to support 'jihad', boasting that the Soviet Union was a superpower and was smashed by jihad; that India was nothing and would soon be broken up into many parts.
Posted by: john frum   2007-11-09 09:06  

#1  Anyone having an access to her med records? Looks like she thinks she 's Snow White.
Posted by: twobyfour   2007-11-09 00:54  

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