‘US has plan to seize Pak nuclear weapons’

NEW YORK.

The fact that the US has a contingency plan to seize Pakistan’s nuclear weapons – if it feared they were about to fall into the wrong hands – if is no longer a secret, a major American television network says.

“It is no secret that the United States has a plan to try to grab Pakistan’s nuclear weapons – if and when the (US) president believes they are a threat to either the US or US interests,” NBC reported.

“As US-Pakistani relations spiral downward, the spectre of a showdown between the increasingly antagonistic allies is garnering more attention, including the worst-case scenario of the US attempting to snatch Pakistan’s 100-plus nuclear weapons if it feared they were about to fall into the wrong hands,” the report said.

It added that ensuring security of those weapons has long been a high US security priority even before 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The NBC said, “There were increasing suspicions among US officials that Osama had support within the ISI and the Abbottabad operation had emboldened those in Washington who believe an orchestrated campaign of raids to secure Pakistan’s nuclear weapons could succeed.”

“In the aftermath of the bin Laden raid, US military officials have testified before Congress about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and the threat posed by loose nukes – nuclear weapons or materials outside the government’s control. And earlier Pentagon reports also outline scenarios in which US forces would intervene to secure nuclear weapons that were in danger of falling into the wrong hands.” In an interview with NBC News, former president Pervez Musharraf warned that a snatch-and-grab operation would lead to all-out war between the countries, calling it total confrontation by the whole nation against whoever comes in. “These are assets which are the pride of Pakistan, assets which are dispersed and very secure in very secure places, guarded by a corps of 18,000 soldiers,” said Musharraf.

“This is not an army which doesn’t know how to fight. This is an army which has fought three wars. Please understand that,” he said.

Pervez Hoodboy too says a US attempt to take control of Pakistan’s nukes would be foolhardy. “They are said to be hidden in tunnels under mountains, in cities, as well as regular air force and army bases,” he said. “A US snatch operation could trigger war; it should never be attempted.”

Despite such comments, interviews with current and former US officials, military reports and even congressional testimony indicate that Pakistan’s weaponry has been the subject of continuing discussions, scenarios, war games and possibly even military exercises by US intelligence and special forces regarding so-called “snatch-and-grab” operations