The failure of Swat deal and subsequently Pakistan army’s operation against the Talibanis in the north-western areas is no way going to die down the fear over Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of terrorists. The United States has expressed its reservations saying that keeping the country's nuclear infrastructure secure is the top priority of Pakistan's armed forces.
A report published in the New York Times (May 03) quoting a senior American official, said the spread of insurgency, especially after the Taliban entered Buner, the concern of US over the issue has intensified as it doesn’t have any details about the whereabouts of those nuclear arms.
Pakistan has time and again deflated from providing any information about the location and security of the country’s nuclear sites. The newspaper further said that some of the Pakistani reluctance stemmed from longstanding concern that the US might be tempted to seize or destroy Pakistan's arsenal if the insurgency spread further to the areas near nuclear sites.
The NYTimes further quotes the official as saying: “We are largely relying on assurances, the same assurances we have been hearing for years…The worse things get, the more strongly they hew to the line, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got it under control.’ ”
Earlier, in a statement, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said the failure of the Swat deal is a "real wake-up call" for Pakistan noting that militants posed an existential threat to Pakistan, and country's leadership is determined to confront the menace.
However, John R.Bolton in an article in the Wall Street Journal (May 2) highlights the growing instability with the rising Islamic radical sentiments, which can disrupt both Pakistan's weak democratic institutions and the military. John writes that the Pakistan army which was earlier considered as the brick stone to hold the country together is now itself gravely threatened from within by rising pro-Taliban sentiment.
“In these circumstances – especially if, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified recently, the nuclear arsenal has been dispersed around the country – there is a tangible risk that several weapons could slip out of military control. Such weapons could then find their way to al Qaeda or other terrorist organisations with obvious global implications,” Bolton further wrote.
However, as the Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is scheduled to meet the US President Barack Obama in Washington on Wednesday, the United States for the first time might discuss the issue directly with the highest official in this regard.
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