Nuclear weapons are in safe hands, says Shireen Mazari

Dr Shireen M Mazari, renowned scholar and top security analyst, on Friday negated the pervasive Pakistani phobia that the US might attack country's nuclear arsenal, destroy it or carry the warheads with them. "Pakistan's nuclear weapons are in safe hands [and] there is no reason for expressing concern that it will happen like a flash of lightning. Our strategic assets are well protected and an elaborate defensive system is in place," she maintained.
About US fear that they could be attacked by a nuclear warhead, in case terrorists get hold of the nuclear arms, she in a humorous tone said that the Americans are 'the world's most stupid and lame-brained people.' "How a nuclear bomb can be dispatched to US...this is a ridiculous idea and [like] making mountain of mole hill...there are certain bindings and international obligation which every country has to follow especially, when it comes to use of N-weapons," she added. She said that US cannot totally take out Pakistan's nuclear weapons physically as is feared by the nation. However, it may exert political and diplomatic pressure through UNSC.
"But the approach will not work as everybody is well aware what the US is doing in terms of nuclear non-proliferation in particular and arms control in general, which is moving away from international treaties. Shireen said that Indo-US nuclear civil co-operation agreement and NSG waiver for India is discriminatory and some western countries especially, US and UK are not willing to consider any further relaxations to Pakistan and Iran, which will certainly intensify the doubts that Washington's policy is not balanced towards Pakistan when it comes to India.
She said that Pakistan must press the US to consider its candidature for NSG membership, so that some kind of balance be created between the neighbouring nuclear arch rivals. Shireen said that NSG as a multilateral export control regime operates through consensus and decisions are not legal binding on members. If there was no consensus on any issue, there could be an internal discussion on modifying their export regulations, she said.
"The clauses of NPT remain dormant while the US along with other members who have signed civilian nuclear co-operation agreements with India have contravened their obligations under the NPT forbidding them to have any nuclear technology export to non-signatory states - of which there are three: Pakistan, India and Israel," she added. She said that the US first bulldozed a unique IAEA safeguards agreement for India and then proceeded to force the NSG to create a country-specific waiver for India in terms of sensitive exports.
Shireen opined that US desire to get India full membership of NSG must be based on some criteria and it should not be country specific if the approach for getting the membership is based on some concrete criteria, Pakistan must not be denied the right to be part of the NSG club. Es-Ambassador Tariq Usman Haider said that US support for NSG membership to India is to increase India's non-proliferation international status and credentials without its accession to NPT, besides building up its strategic potential.