Radhakrishna Rao
Even while making occasional incursions into Indian Territory close to the international borders, China continues to provide “overt and covert” support to Pakistan in its quest of building a nuclear arsenal as a counterpoise to India. Thanks to the unstinted Chinese support to Pakistan, this “failed state” has today in its possession more than 100 nuclear weapons.
Recently, the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, Sun Weidong, had come out with the statement that the co-operation of his country with Pakistan on the nuclear programme would continue. He also pointed out that Pak-China civilian nuclear cooperation was as per the Vienna based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), of which China is a member, clearly forbids its members from transferring the nuclear technology to countries that have not signed NPT (Nuclear Proliferation Treaty). Pakistan happens to be a non-signatory to NPT.
Meanwhile, the Institute for Science and International Security(ISIS), reveals that Pakistan is close to completing the external construction of a fourth reactor building at the Khushab nuclear power complex that produces plutonium for the country’s nuclear weapons development programme. The Khushab complex is located 200-kms to the south of the capital city of Islamabad.
The well documented ISIS study notes that the increased capability “would allow Pakistan to build a larger number of miniaturised plutonium based nuclear weapons in order to complement its existing arsenal of highly enriched uranium weapons.” The unsafeguarded Khushab plutonium reactor is suspected to be a key element in the development weapons grade plutonium.
As it is, China was also instrumental in helping Pakistan to complete the process of setting up of its plutonium reprocessing facility at Chashma. The Chashma plutonium reprocessing plant was originally to be completed by France but was suspended in 1979 with France pulling out of the agreement under US pressure.
According to an ISIS report, April 2011, Pakistan was allegedly operating an illegal network in the US to procure goods including switching and radiation detection equipment and nuclear grade resin, for its Chashma plant. There is no denying that all along China played a crucial role in the development of Pakistan’s nuclear infrastructure. As it is, in 1990s, China designed and supplied heavy water Khushab reactors which played a key role in Pakistan’s production of plutonium. It is an open secret that one of the subsidiaries of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) contributed to Pakistan’s efforts to expand its uranium enrichment capabilities that facilitate the high speed of centrifuge for the process of enriching weapons grade uranium.
AQ Khan, the father of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons development programme, had clearly referred to the crucial role played by China in supporting Pakistan’s nuclear weaponisation by providing 50-kg of enriched weapons grade uranium, nuclear weapons blueprint as well as some quantity of Uranium Hexaflouride for the centrifuge facility being set by Pakistan. Perhaps the most worrisome aspect of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons development programme is the possibility of some of the well entrenched Islamic radical outfits accessing the nuclear weapons for use against their ”perceived enemies” across a vast geographical swath. India can afford to ignore the possibility of this unpleasant development at its own peril.
US lawmakers urge Pentagon
In a letter to Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, led by Congressmen Joe Crowley, vice-chair of the Democratic Caucus, and Rodney Frelinghuysen, Chairman of the House Defence Appropriations Sub-committee a group of 105 US lawmakers requested the Pentagon to lift the presumptive ban on the Sikhs serving in the military by easing restrictions on beard, turbans, and other religious accoutrements.
The Lawmaker said in the letter that “Given the achievements of these soldiers and their demonstrated ability to comply with operational requirements while practising their faith, we believe it is time for our military to make inclusion of practicing Sikh Americans the rule, not the exception”.
Sikhs have served in the US army since World War I, and are permitted to serve in the armed forces of Canada and the UK, as well as key partner India.In the last 30 years, only three Sikh Americans–Major Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan and Corporal Simran Preet Singh Lamba–have been granted permission, to serve in the US Army while maintaining their articles of faith. Sikh Coalition applauded lawmaker”s move calling for an end to the presumptive ban on devout Sikh service in the US military. “Today”s letter from Congress is a big step forward in our campaign to ensure equal opportunity for Sikh Americans in the US military,” said Rajdeep Singh, director of Law and Policy for the Sikh Coalition.
“Sikhs have proven time and again around the world that they are excellent soldiers. It”s time for the Pentagon to realise that Sikh Americans are here to stay and that policies of exclusion are inevitably going to fail,” Singh said.
—Bureau Report
Once again Indian Soldier proved by showing great courage and devotion to duty, the Indian Battalion in Jonglei State had brought credit upon themselves and the UN military force in South Sudan, UNMISS Force Commander Delali Johnson Sakyi said in the state capital Bor.
It had been “dynamically deployed in the largest and most volatile State of Jonglei and called upon to execute numerous tasks which involved protection of civilians and assisting the mission’s civilian component” said Major General Sakyi while presenting an award to the battalion. Other achievements included retrieving bodies of mission colleagues shot down in a UN helicopter, providing shelter for civilians in the battalion’s base in 12 major incidents, protectinghumanitarian convoys and assisting with care of children in Interim Care Centres.
The battalion also conducted numerous medical and veterinary camps and assisted in medical and casualty evacuations from Pibor and Gumuruk counties.In April last year, five peacekeepers from the battalion were killed when unidentified assailants attacked on UNMISS convoy between Bor and Gumuruk. “The rank and file of the battalion has never hesitated to put their life on the line for the cause of peace and have done so selflessly and impartially time and again” added Sakyi.“(They) have been worthy Ambassadors of peace, (responding) to every call, challenge and situation with sincerity, fixedness of purpose and alacrity,” he added. —Bureau Report
The mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is mingling day by day. Whether it crashed on land or at sea, or is intact somewhere. Could it take days or month or years to solve? Accounts from Malaysian authorities and others involved in the search operation and investigation into flight MH370 have been particularly confusing and and contradictory.
So far all the eyes and ears of technology world failed to find MH370. The flight with 239 people silently vanished on March 8 morning on its way to China, disappeared from radar so suddenly and inexplicably that it might as well have flown into another dimension.
MH 370 has similarities to that of Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the Atlantic, killing all 228 people aboard, in 2009. France”s Bureau of Investigation and Analysis said the Air France Flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed because the aircraft”s speed sensors gave invalid readings, but there are many other theories on why the plane went down. 12 Countries including India join search for MH370. The interesting thing is that over two-third of the passengers were Chinese. As china see Uighur hand and relating it with Kunming attack by Uighurs. If this turn out to be correct, it would be biggest attack by Uighurs.
Leave a Comment