The North Korean Connection
In October of 2000, North Korea revealed that
it had nuclear weapons. Despite years of sanctions by the United
Nations, North Korea had somehow obtained these weapons. How?
The answer is simple: Pakistan.
In July of 2002, American satellite photos revealed
that a C-130 cargo plane made a sortie from Pakistan to North
Korea. This plane delivered nuclear weapons on the journey to
North Korea and returned with ballistic missile parts. Basically,
while North Korea gave Pakistan missile parts Islamabad needs
to build a nuclear arsenal, which can hit strategic sites in India,
Pakistan provided North Korea with many of the designs for gas
centrifuges and much of the machinery for making highly enriched
uranium for Pyong Yang’s latest nuclear weapons project.
The irony of the situation is that this same C-130 that had supplied
one of America’s worst enemies with nuclear weapons was
originally gifted to Pakistan by the United States to aid in the
war against terror.
This was not the first time that the Pakistan-North
Korea relationship has been seen. In 1999, the Indian Navy detained
the “Ku-Wol-San”, a North Korean ship bound for Pakistan
carrying missile parts and blue prints to build a ballistic missile
manufacturing factory in Pakistan. Indian officials revealed that
the ship contained vital components of Pyongyang's hi-tech Nodong
I ballistic missile. In fact, Pakistan had tested the Ghauri missile,
which was nothing less that the Nodong I under a new name. In
order to counter, India’s indigenously developed missiles
such as the Privthi and Agni, Pakistan continues to purchase missiles
from North Korea and China.
The Chinese Connection
It is well known to US authorities that China
has and continues to assist Pakistan in its nuclear weapon program.
Arming Pakistan with nuclear weapons is ideal for China. It allows
for Pakistan to counter India, China’s greatest economic
and military threat in Asia.
Throughout the 1980’s Pakistan received
pre-tested atomic bomb designs and enriched uranium from China.
China's nuclear assistance predates the 1986 Sino-Pakistani atomic
cooperation agreement, with some of the most critical transfers
occurring from 1980 through 1985. China is reported to have provided
Pakistan with the design of one of its warheads, as well as sufficient
HEU for a few weapons. The 25-kiloton design was the one used
in China's fourth nuclear test, which was an atmospheric test
using a ballistic missile launch. This configuration is said to
be a fairly sophisticated design, with each warhead weighing considerably
less than the unwieldy, first-generation US and Soviet weapons
which weighed several thousand kilograms. Pakistan Foreign Minister
Yakub Khan was present at the Chinese Lop Nor test site to witness
the test of a small nuclear device in May 1983, giving rise to
speculation that a Pakistani-assembled device was detonated in
this test. In 1987, China concluded a deal with Pakistan to sell
M-11 missiles and launchers.
Pakistan’s nuclear program would be non-existent
without China. In addition, it suspected that China clandestinely
helped in the ballistic missile-nuclear weapon exchange between
Pakistan and North Korea. The C-130 could not have made it to
North Korea without refueling and it is widely suspected that
it refueled in China.
Denial
Despite such clear relationships between Pakistan,
North Korea and China, Pakistan continues to deny that it has
received any help from these nations. As recently as late 2002,
Pakistani General (President) Musharraf called such allegations
“absolutely baseless”.
As a frontline “ally” in the war against
terror, Pakistan is in fact helping working to the opposite end
by proliferating nuclear technologies to dangerous communist regimes.
One can only hope that the next recipient of these weapons is
not an Islamic terrorist outfit.
Osama Connection?
In November of 2001, Pakistan detained and interrogated
two nuclear scientists who had contacts with the Taliban and Al
Qaeda, but neither had any knowledge or expertise that would have
helped terrorists build or obtain a nuclear weapon. However, the
scientists admitted to meeting Osama Bin Laden, but claimed they
met in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar in connection with
the construction of a flour mill. The close relationship between
the Pakistani military and Al-Qaeda could easily lead to terrorists
having nuclear weapons.
In fact, Pakistan does trust Islamic radicals
with their weapons. In 1999, during a near war with India, Pakistan
asked the Taliban if it could shift some of its nuclear arsenal
to Afghanistan. "The Taliban accepted the requests with open
arms," the official said, but the talks were exploratory
and no missiles were ever moved across the border.
Links:
Guardian:
Pakistan helped North Korea make bomb
CIA:
North Korea tried to buy Nuclear Equipment in 2001
US
Approach on Pakistan-North Korea Nuclear Collaboration
Chinese
Proliferation sparks new arms race
Atomic
Ties link North Korea, Pakistan
Nuclear
Threat Initiative: Pakistan
BBC:
Pakistan, the China Connection
Federation
of American Scientists: Pakistan Nuclear Weapons
US:
Pakistan gave Nuclear Technology to North Korea
Battling
the Bribers: Illicit Pakistan-North Korean Nuclear Trade
US
Knew about Pakistan North Korea Nuclear Deal
