Threat to destroy Indian N-plant stopped attack on Kahuta

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan had warned India in the early 80s that an attack on nuclear assets in Kahuta would evoke a retaliatory strike on its Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Trombay.This has been revealed by the then Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal M. Anwar Shamim, in his book “Cutting Edge PAF” launched here on Thursday.

Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, former Chairman of Joint Chiefs of the Staff Committee Admiral (retd) Iftikhar Ahmad Sirohey, former Air Chief Air Marshal (retd) Tanvir Mahmood Ahmad, Lt-Gen (retd) Kamal Matinuddin and former foreign minister Gohar Ayub Khan attended the ceremony.

According to Air Chief Marshal (retd) Shamim, he was called by the then president Gen Zia Ul haq in 1979 to discuss air defence of the nuclear assets in Kahuta. Gen Zia had reliable information that India was planning to attack and destroy Kahuta.

He says he told the president that Kahuta was an indefensible site because it was at three minutes flying time from the border. The reaction time was about eight minutes and by the time the PAF aircraft would reach the area the enemy would have completed the job and would be safe in their territory.

Gen Zia asked how could the most vital deterrent in the country’s armoury be defended and the answer was to acquire most modern aircraft and advanced weapons and the PAF would destroy India’s advanced nuclear facility at Trombay, if they embarked upon this rash course of action.

“We will inflict more damage to them than they can do to us”.

He says he told the president that the multi-role F-16 aircraft with the latest weapons were the best and most suited to meet PAF’s needs.He says that in 1981 the US administration offered F-5Es to be later augmented by F-5Gs, but Pakistan refused to accept any aircraft other than F-16s. This was finally accepted by the United States.

Pakistan received the first batch of F-16 aircraft in January 1983, and he wrote a letter to the president about the task given to him.

“I am now in a position to confirm that Indians will not attack Kahuta because it is amply clear to them that we will retaliate and launch an attack on their atomic station in Trombay, and knowing that they will suffer much more devastation than us, will desist from taking any unwise action”.

He says he told the then secretary of science and technology, Munir Hussain, who was going abroad to attend an international conference on atomic energy, to inform his Indian counterpart of consequences of any adventure to attack the nuclear assets of Pakistan.

When he talked to his Indian counterpart, he said: “No brother, we know your capability and we will not undertake such a mission.”

He says that he also requested Lt-Gen Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, the foreign minister at that time, to declare at an appropriate time the intention of retaliating if any action was taken against the country’s nuclear assets.

“I think he did that while he was in New York. I also invited senior editors of newspapers to inform them of the capability that we had acquired and safeguarded our nuclear assets. They asked pertinent questions and I answered them. As expected the news was published in Indian newspapers next day”.

Youm-e-Takbeer

Haris Khan | Exclusive to PKKH

Every nation displays their military hardware on different occasions. The basic purpose to perform such an act is to dispel a silent message to the enemy to “layoff”. Darwin rightly stated “it is survival of the fittest” so in foreign policy determinants being fit (economically and militarily) will guarantee your survive on the world map.

Pakistan is no exception to when it comes to dealing with Realpolitik as she faces a rouge neighbor in shape of India. Pakistan fought two major (1965 & 1971) and three minor wars(1948 Kashmir, Siachen 1984 & Kargil 1999) with India but all of them were fought with conventional weapons. Whenever there would be a crises situation around the world, former president of U.S, Bill Clinton, would ask his chiefs, which naval aircraft carrier is near to the hot zone thus proving the importance of battle ships in U.S foreign policy.

India triggered nuclear arms race in south-Asia back in 1974 when she detonated nuclear devices code named “Smiling Buddha” in pokhran range thus compelling Late Primer Z.A. Bhutto to state that, “we will eat grass but will built an atomic bomb”. Pakistan being a small country with limited depth in geography also had to adopt a profound strategy to limit Indian in terms of rash aggression. Bhutto called a secret meeting of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (P.A.E.C) and other related nuclear scientists in multan back in 1974-75 and gave them his piece of mind. Some of them gave him 8 to 10 years time by adopting plutonium route which was way too difficult. Puzzled and quizzed for the time duration of making a bomb. Bhutto was approached by Dr. Abdul Qadeer khan and put forward a Uranium route for making a bomb in sharp 6 years. Bhutto eyes sparked and gave him the go ahead with the name “Project-706”. It is an open secret that Pakistan duged tunnels in chaghi and kharan by P.A.E.C up till 1980 did cold testing of its bomb between 1982 and 1984. Some conspiracies even go to the extent of saying that, for hot tests the devices were shifted to china where it had a 100% success rate. 80’s was the time when U.S president Ronald Regan would personally give guarantees to the loud heard senator, John glen and the rest of congressmen criticizing Pakistan nuclear program. Pakistan moved silently and tested its F-16’s in wind tunnels as to see the performance of outfitter pods for carrying nuclear devices.

In the whole affair Israel moved fast and Mossad dispatched parcel bombs around the globe to component suppliers of Pakistan nuclear program. In a joint plan they even collaborated with India to strike at the heart of Khan Research Laboratory to destroy the crown jewels of Pakistan in a repeat strike plan of Osirak plant. Again a message was conveyed silently by former ambassador Agha Shahi and both refrained from attempting such an act of aggression.

In 1998 India fired “Prithvi missile” and balance of power tilted towards India. Pakistan reciprocated and fired “Ghori missile”. Later India did 5 hot tests of nuclear devices up to 40 kt yield. Pakistan was given threats every day by BJP leaders in India but Pakistan kept its nerves cool. After more than 17 days and upholding intense pressure by Americans Pakistan reciprocated and detonated five nuclear devices in the Chagai Hills in the Chaghai district, Balochistan. This operation was named Chagai-I.

Since that day Pakistani nation have kept their heads held high but such a scenario was short lived. Our so called leaders have let us down and we irrespective of being a nuclear power nation have been sliced to a status of a paper tiger. We have forgotten “yom-e-takbir”, the day when we took out our crown jewels from the basement and showed it to the world. Yes, we the Pakistanis have no designs of conquering India or disturbing world peace but we prepare ourselves “not on our enemy’s preparations but his intention”. It is high time to unite Pakistan and not to further divide it. Our enemy is shred and dividing us on ethnic lines and we have to thwart this danger from roots. May ALLAH be with Pakistan.

Haris Khan is a journalist with Khyber TV, Pakistan.