Imran Khan, Pakistan Army And Nuclear Peace
India Strategic|August 2018

London. While Pakistan’s Prime Minister-elect ponders the selection of his closest advisers, he needs to consider how they will be viewed across the border in neighbouring India.

 
Shyam Bhatia
Imran Khan, Pakistan Army And Nuclear Peace

Imran Khan has expressed his desire for better ties with New Delhi - open borders like the US and Canada-but behind the fanfare of his swearing-in ceremony, and the inevitable presence of Bollywood and Indian cricket stars, certain realities cannot be avoided.

For a start any Pakistani Prime Minister’s actual powers are severely limited by the army, the ultimate point of reference for the deep state that actually controls the country. As one of his predecessors, Benazir Bhutto, discovered to her cost, the prime minister may or may not be included in key decisions about how and where Pakistan deploys its nuclear weapons.

Benazir, a personal friend of mine from our student days in Oxford, had to literally force her way into meetings called by top military leaders who wanted to discuss the deployment and further growth of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons armoury. Crucially, she was kept out of the loop when her generals decided to step up uranium enrichment to weapons grade levels, effectively going back on assurances previously given to the US and other members of the international community.

It was US ambassador to Pakistan Robin Oakley who personally told Benazir, the serving Prime Minister of Pakistan how American satellites had picked up information about the new levels of enrichment by monitoring the speed at which the enrichment plant at Kahuta was working.

In Benazir’s own words “The satellites could pick up the speed at which the enrichment plant was working…with these revolutions… because at 60 per cent you beat at a certain level and at 90 per cent you beat at another level. If Benazir was kept out of nuclear decision making, it was much the same for Nawaz Sharif. It can assumed to be the same when it comes to Imran.

Bu hikaye India Strategic dergisinin August 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye India Strategic dergisinin August 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

INDIA STRATEGIC DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
RTX's Pratt & Whitney expands India Operations
India Strategic

RTX's Pratt & Whitney expands India Operations

BENGALURU. Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, announced the establishment of its new India Digital Capability Center (IDCC) in Bengaluru.

time-read
1 min  |
January-February 2024
BEL Anticipates Order Inflow of Rs. 25,000 Crore in 2024
India Strategic

BEL Anticipates Order Inflow of Rs. 25,000 Crore in 2024

BENGALORE.  Bhanu Prakash Srivastava, the Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), the Navaratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking, expects order inflow to cross the Rs. 25,000-crore mark for financial year 2024. As of now, the order book stands at around Rs. 23,200 crore order book.

time-read
1 min  |
January-February 2024
GA-ASI Demonstrates Release of A2LE from MQ-20 Avenger UAS
India Strategic

GA-ASI Demonstrates Release of A2LE from MQ-20 Avenger UAS

SAN DIEGO. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) successfully demonstrated an inflight release of its Advanced AirLaunched Effects (A2LE) platform, releasing an A2LE from the internal weapons bay of a GA-ASI MQ-20 Avenger® Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The demonstration took place on Nov. 28, 2023, over Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, capping a manufacturing, structural test, and flight demonstration.

time-read
1 min  |
January-February 2024
Maiden Indian Navy - Royal Thai Navy bilateral exercise and 36th Edition of Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol
India Strategic

Maiden Indian Navy - Royal Thai Navy bilateral exercise and 36th Edition of Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol

The maiden Bilateral Maritime Exercise between the Indian Navy (IN) and Royal Thai Navy(RTN) was conducted from December 20 to 23.

time-read
1 min  |
January-February 2024
Defence Minister commissions Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer INS Imphal in Mumbai
India Strategic

Defence Minister commissions Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer INS Imphal in Mumbai

NEW DELHI. INS Imphal, a Pro ject 15B s tea l th guided missile destroyer, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at an impressive ceremony held at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai on December 26.

time-read
2 dak  |
January-February 2024
Indian Air and Space Force (IASF)
India Strategic

Indian Air and Space Force (IASF)

e Space fighters, Military satellites IAF plans to transform into a Superpower in space

time-read
2 dak  |
January-February 2024
Defence Minister reviews Combined Graduation Parade at Air Force Academy, Dundigal
India Strategic

Defence Minister reviews Combined Graduation Parade at Air Force Academy, Dundigal

NEW DELHI. To mark the successful culmination of training of 213 Flight Cadets of the flying and ground duty branches of the Indian Air Force (IAF), a Combined Graduation Parade (CGP) was held at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal in Telangana on December 17.

time-read
1 min  |
January-February 2024
Strengthening Indo-US Relationship in Amrit Kaal and Aatmanirbhar Bharat
India Strategic

Strengthening Indo-US Relationship in Amrit Kaal and Aatmanirbhar Bharat

NEW DELHI. The capital and technological knowhow from the United States of America can help India to achieve its goal of becoming a developed country by 2047, while investments here can give the American companies high returns and an avenue of de-risking.

time-read
3 dak  |
January-February 2024
Rajnath Singh's UK visit takes forward bilateral Defence cooperation
India Strategic

Rajnath Singh's UK visit takes forward bilateral Defence cooperation

NEW DELHI. Defence ties between India and the United Kingdom received a boost during the visit of Defence Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh for talks with his British counterpart Mr. Grant Shapps in London during January 8-10, this year.

time-read
4 dak  |
January-February 2024
VMAN Orders 10 new generation Amphibian Aircraft to connect Indian Waterways US company Mallard to supply ME-1As to Gujarat based leasing company
India Strategic

VMAN Orders 10 new generation Amphibian Aircraft to connect Indian Waterways US company Mallard to supply ME-1As to Gujarat based leasing company

HYDERABAD/ NEW DELHI. It's Time to Fly from the Rivers, Coast, or Lakes, to connect India's various regions, both for civil and military requirements.

time-read
3 dak  |
January-February 2024