The Leader of Opposition in National Assembly, PPP Khurshid Shah, has made a valid remark that former President Pervez Musharraf must not have said that Pakistan could use a nuclear bomb against India because of a variety of reasons. Shah was referring to Musharraf's remarks that he made at a talk with an Indian television. The former president said that Pakistan would never neglect the defence of its eastern borders and added that the country would not hesitate in using a nuclear bomb against India if a need arose.
The positions taken by Shah and Musharraf indicate one thing: Shah is a seasoned politician armed by a strong sense of political history of the region while Musharraf is essentially a soldier despite his eight-year rule. That is why he raised the threat of a deadly spectre of nuclear holocaust with a view to sending to rabid Hindu fundamentalist Narendra Modi a strong message. The Indian prime minister is therefore required to appreciate the fact that Pakistan wants peace on its borders, but is ready to respond to any form of aggression from its neighbours, particularly India.