Author: Sunita Vakil
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: September 7, 2009
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/200742/End-Pakistan's-sinister-designs.html
Pretending that the Taliban and Al Qaeda are
the main threats to peace, Pakistan is having the last laugh by hoodwinking
the US not only to get massive aid but also using the same to wage a proxy
war against India. It is, however, disconcerting that the US is still turning
a blind eye to the terror sponsored by its ally. Whichever way one looks at
Pakistan's clandestine efforts of customising weaponry, it is clear that America
is aiding and abetting Pakistan's designs against India.
Notwithstanding the fact that President Barack
Obama had promised during his election campaign to review military and civilian
aid to Pakistan, it seems he has no intention of honouring his pledge. On
the contrary, he has demanded that the US assistance to Islamabad should be
delinked from its commitment to fighting terror.
Though Pakistan is known for acquiring weapons
surreptitiously rather than producing them indigenously, the US must take
this development seriously. Pakistan's stockpiling of atomic weapons beyond
the required deterrence also seems to be quite baffling and raises several
questions. One naturally wonders whether the focus of such mindless additions
of these deadly weapons is solely on India. Apprehensions of a similar nature
were voiced by Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor last week saying that if such
reports were true, it was cause for grave concern. Incidentally, this statement
came close on the heels of an article published in the Bulletin of the Atomic
Scientists about Pakistan having 70 to 90 atom bombs.
While Islamabad has not refuted the charges
of increasing its nuclear weapons stockpile, it has categorically rejected
the accusation that it has reconfigured anti-ship missiles bought from the
US, saying that the missiles were indigenously developed. It needs no reiteration
that Pakistan, a major recipient of American largesse, has violated US arms
export laws.
Now that the US Government has itself complained
about Pakistan's deception, we may hope against hope that something positive
comes out of it. At the same time, there is an urgent need for the Obama Administration
to reconsider whether Pakistan should be a recipient of US aid at all. As
for India, the need of the hour is to shed our beseeching attitude towards
the US and put pressure on the Obama Administration to stop all aid to Pakistan.
The recent development shows that both New Delhi as well as international
community will have to ensure that Pakistan's sinister design is defeated
at any cost.
