The country that successfully hid the nuclear program from CIA, Mossad, Raw
They
knew. Two factors helped Pakistan.
First in those days (1970s) the smell of the colonial era was fresh. Racism and arrogance (which still is) was widespread and the many thought that Third Worlders like Pakistani were just upstarts who did not have the wherewithal to even begin making a nuclear device (this notion has been thoroughly disabused). This led to complacency on part of the West.
"1976 - Kissinger to Bhutto that the "US would make a horrible example’ of him over his refusal to give up the nuclear programme"
Source > A leaf from history: Kissinger comes to town - Newspaper - DAWN.COM
Source > Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes - Michael Rubin - Google Books
Second was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. This gave Pakistan such leverage that she could just go along making the bomb while US would feign ignorance. This blanket protection lasted until the defeated Soviet troops left in late 1989 and soon US woke up and "discovered" Pak had nukes. Down came the hammer and sanctions. Everybody here knows the saga of embargoed F-16s etc.
So, with respect to you just because Pakistan outsmarted the West with the help of geostrategic circumstances prevalent at the time does not qualify the issue at hand in anyway.
On the question of how safe the nukes are most agree that it is reasonably safe. Indeed probably no more at risk of extremists grabbing them then say in US some far right group getting them. Pakistan military as a institution is well disciplined and with well proven history of unity of command. Call that a gift of the British era.
However the biggest single failure was without shred of doubt AQ.Khan. This concieted, self serving man with exceptional talent in selling himself as "Mr Bomb" when the truth is it took 1,000s of dedicated scientists decades to develop the bomb. Munir Ahmed Khan contributed more if not as much as AQ-K but the latter managed to get his face "photobombed" everywhere. His mastery at self publicity saw to it that he became the face of the "bomb".
The fact is that this
montser sold for
private gain secrets that belonged to the state. It was not his property the first place. However he went ahead driven by
gread to sell Pakistan's assets to other countries in a
private venture that directly put at
risk the entire state of Pakistan. He was prepared to
pawn the safety of entire Pakistan for
few dollars more. I know of no more lowly person than that.
This is something that people in Pakistan who are apt to worship
demons and crucify the
saints (which explains the terrible state of the country) should do bit of retrospection. Imagine if one of the countries he sold the secrets to had developed a crude version and used it in MIddle East? The consequences are beyond thinking. Pakistan would have been erased from the map by the West. This traitor AQ-K did this for
money. Later when everything came out he pretended to play the good jihadi by saying he was doing it for Islam. This would be like me breaking into National Bank of Pakistan and then when caught claiming I was taking the money so I could give it to Bayt Ul Mal to be distributed to the poor and needy Muslims. From minus zero I go to being plus hero.
The good thing is matters did eventually of sorts catch him. The bigger question that needed resolving was this matter private (AQ-K being AQ) or was the state involved. After considerably scrutiny the conclusion was it was just AQ being a
privateer and a gangster. Quests were asked how was this possible. Very easy in Pakistan. Once Aq-K made his face synonymous with the bomb he was effectively a god amongst men. Pakstani culture s very prone to liftig people up to gods and then not asking any questions. In this culture AQ could do almost anything and nobody dared to question him.
However these issues have been addressed and authority over the nukes has been divested to a dedicated insitution that functions as organization than a property of one man. Therefore
most observers (some with agendas will differ for obvious reasons) now regard Pak nukes to be
safe as any other country. For those of showing some attributes of having logical thinking please read this article by the late great Ardeshir Cowasjee.
I know, I know Cowasjee was "a Indian" spy and on the payroll of RAW and thus discrediting the great Mr Bomb - this is ready made reply for some who regard AQ-K as messiah.
Source
> The depths of degradation - Newspaper - DAWN.COM
