US can hit at nuke sites under new law

lambu

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Messages
313
Likes
77
ISLAMABAD: As questions are being raised about safety of Pakistani nukes after the PNS Mehran attack, analysts have pointed to the new US law which allows US to invade a country and confiscate "weapons of mass destruction."

The legislation titled Lugar-Obama Act was passed in 2009 which is a continuation of Nunn-Lugar Act of 1991 which talked of providing security to the nukes of a country whereas Lugar-Obama Act expanded the legislation to sting operations to confiscate the nuclear weapons.

Defence Analyst Maria Sultan who is also the Director General South Asian Strategic Stability Institute while talking to The News said that Lugar-Obama Act was a continuation of Cooperative Threat Reduction Programme which was used to unarm Soviet Union, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Belarus and in 2003 it was said that there was no need of any other cooperative Threat Reduction Programme but instead of finishing it, United States started another legislation in 2006 which was initiated by Barack Obama and Richard Lugar and in 2009 the 109th Congress session passed it.

Maria said that in attacks on PNS Mehran in Karachi and General Headquarters, strategic assets have been targeted and such attacks only benefit the larger agenda of international forces. She said that the US policy was linked with Ronald Reagan Defence Authorization Act which was followed by Nunn-Lugar Act and now the Lugar-Obama Act and through the latest legislation US can do anything against nukes.

She said that there is a systematic campaign against Pakistan which is compelling the international community to talk about Pakistan's nukes and it was time for Pakistan army and government to tell people about the larger agenda of international forces.

"Army should determine these facts, which are known to it and should keep the nation abreast of the possible threats," Maria mentioned.

When asked what if Americans come for Pakistan's nukes, Maria question, "Who will stop them?"

She held that America has passed the legislation in the recent past and ground is being laid to implement that legislation on Pakistan as events of recent past are crying out about the American game. Maria mentioned that the Kerry-Lugar Act also included a few sections of non-proliferation of the area while US has also allocated budget for the possible attacks to secure nukes.

It merits mentioning here that the Lugar-Obama Act, sponsored by Senators Richard Lugar and Barack Obama and co-sponsored by a bi-partisan group of 17 other senators, would provide $25 million in funding to prevent the proliferation of conventional weapons and $50 million to help US allies detect and interdict weapons and materials of mass destruction.

US can hit at nuke sites under new law
 

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top