New Delhi: For Pakistan’s nuclear managers today, matching Indian nuclear capabilities is all that matters, says a new book which critically examines how and why the neighbouring country acquired its nuke weapons and many related issues.

In “Pakistan’s Nuclear Bomb: A Story Of Defiance, Deterrence And Deviance”, academic Hassan Abbas profiles the politicians and scientists involved in the development of Pakistan’s nuclear bomb, and the role of China and Saudi Arabia in supporting its nuclear infrastructure.

The book also examines Pakistani nuclear physicist A Q Khan’s involvement in nuclear proliferation in Iran, Libya and North Korea, and argues that the origins and evolution of the Khan network were tied to the domestic and international political motivations underlying Pakistan’s nuclear weapons project, and that project’s organisation, oversight and management.

It further takes a look at the prospects for nuclear safety in Pakistan in the light of the country’s nuclear control infrastructure and the threat posed by the Taliban and other extremist groups to the nuclear assets.

“Whether it is about prospects of admission into Nuclear Supplier Group or gaining access to western technology useful for civilian nuclear purposes, Pakistan feels that it is treated unfairly vis-a-vis India. On the side, Pakistan is also aggressively investing in developing nuclear reactors capable of yielding weapon-grade plutonium with China’s help,” Abbas writes. PTI

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