The rising crescendo of news stories in the Western media on the activities of Pakistan’s nuclear scientists, coupled with the apology and subsequent pardon of Dr. A.Q. Khan and calls for Pakistan to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), fit into a broader pattern of putting unrelenting, multi-layered pressure on Pakistan.
First, it was fundamentalism. The West was distinctly uncomfortable that Pakistan’s genesis lay on the grounds of religion, but did not voice a similar reaction to the injection of religious fundamentalism in the Middle East with the formation of Israel. Similarly overlooked by the West was Indian fundamentalism: the current BJP government in India cut its political teeth on the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya during December 1992 (Gandhi’s assassin, Nathuram Godse, was a member of BJP’s forerunner, the RSS.)
Then, Pakistan was painted as a hatchery for terror, ignoring that three Israeli prime ministers, including the current one, have a proven track record of terror: Begin (Irgun gang), Shamir (Stern gang), and Sharon (Sabra and Shatila massacres). The movie Exodus (1960), which glorifies the creation of Israel and is a romanticized account of the life of Yitzhak Rabin, has one of the key Zionist characters extol the virtues of terrorism.
On narcotics, also, Pakistan was perceived as a major trafficker while the US placed proportionately less attention on its own drug-consuming culture. However, in February 1999, President Clinton certified that Pakistan cooperated fully in efforts to counter the production and export of illicit drugs. And in March 2003, the State Department released its latest “International Narcotics Control Strategy Report” which noted that “the Government of Pakistan’s cooperation on drug control with the United States remains excellent.”
On the nuclear issue, the principal focus remains on Pakistan, with India and Israel largely escaping similar scrutiny and censure. During a hearing on the nuclear issue on Capitol Hill during August 1987, Congressman Charlie Wilson stopped Congressman Stephen Solarz in his tracks - much to the amusement of the audience - by raising the issue of Israel just when Stephen Solarz was pontificating about Pakistan’s nuclear program.
With regard to Israel’s nuclear program, America adopted a policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The Daily Telegraph reported in December 2001 that, in a televised Israeli documentary, Shimon Peres revealed that France assisted Israel in acquiring nuclear technology. The paper further noted: “The agreement with France was unprecedented. Until then, no country had supplied another with the means for developing a nuclear capability.” The documentary, “The Bomb in the Basement: Israel’s Nuclear Option”, recounted how Israel agreed to provide troops and support to France in the 1956 Suez campaign against Egypt and its leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser, in exchange for nuclear reactors, uranium, and know-how. Israel continued to deny its nuclear capability for decades, although France’s nuclear assistance was well-known within military circles. Jean-Francois Daguzan, the deputy director of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris, stated that while France had not “given Israel its nuclear capacity ... it had certainly helped the country acquire it.”
Cohen, author of the book, Israel and the Bomb, asserts that charges the US applies double standards toward Israel are “inappropriate” because Israel is not a party to the 1970 NPT. He continues: “Israel did not sign the NPT so it does not have to comply with its obligations to do anything. But in the broader political sense, look, what can the United States do? From early on, the United States understood Israel is not going to give up nuclear weapons.”
The defensive attitudes and mindset of Pakistan’s autocratic elites are in stark contrast. Aggressive at home, they are submissive abroad. Historically, they have been notoriously inept in reading the tea leaves and not anticipating the expected moves of inimical forces. Occasionally, the ball could be thrown to the other side of the court.
Unless there is an attempt to curb dishonesty and denial, it is likely that Pakistan will continue to be surprised, pressured and kept on the back-foot to the larger detriment of its sovereignty and prosperity.
The deficiency is both intellectual and moral. One way to meet the multifarious challenges would be through mental toughness and tenacity. Pakistan, indeed, has more leverage than its leaders may think it has. The question is how well it plays to its strengths with confidence, courage, and innovation.
