Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal grows; nation’s future iffy

The Obama administration’s concern about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into the hands of homegrown terrorists with ties to al-Qaida and the Taliban has been heightened by reports that the country is rapidly adding to its nuclear arsenal.

A story in Monday’s New York Times revealed that Pakistan, which is under threat from Islamic extremists, is producing an unknown amount of new bomb-grade uranium, and, once a series of new nuclear reactors is completed, bomb-grade plutonium for a new generation of weapons. That alone is reason for the United States and other western nations to worry.

But here’s another significant fact that makes the expansion of the nuclear arsenal all the more worthy of attention: According to the Times, a Brookings Institution scholar, Bruce Riedel, who participated in the development of President Barack Obama’s Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, has said Pakistan has more terrorists per square mile than anywhere on earth. In addition, its nuclear weapons program is growing faster than any other country.

With the Taliban firmly in control of the Swat Valley — the government of President Asif Ali Zardari gave the militants the green light to govern the territory using Sharia, or Islamic law — the threat to the democratically elected central government has never been greater.

Indeed, after Taliban fighters recently reached within 60 miles of the Pakistani capital Islamabad, the military fought back with major force. The army is trying to oust the Taliban from Buner, which provides a direct link to the rest of Pakistan from the Swat Valley.

Osama bin Laden

But it isn’t just the Taliban that is cause for concern. Osama bin Laden, the world’s leading terrorist and mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on America’s homeland, and members of his inner circle are said to have established camps along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. They are being protected by tribal chieftains who have little regard for or fear of the central government and the military.

Add nuclear weapons to the mix, and it becomes clear that Pakistan under Islamists — the establishment of a theocracy is their ultimate goal — would not only pose a threat to the stability of the subcontinent, but would result in the spread of nuclear arms to other terrorist organizations, such as Hamas.

The threat to Israel, which also has nuclear weapons, would destabilize the Middle East. There already are rumblings within Israel of Iran’s nuclear capability and calls from hardliners for a strike against Iranian facilities that are supposedly producing material that could be used in weapons.

Having Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal in the hands of extremists is a recipe for disaster.

Likewise, India, which also has nuclear weapons and the ability to deliver them, would launch a preemptive strike against Pakistan if it believed that danger were lurking.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the disputed territory of Kashmir, and Pakistani militants have been identified as launching suicide attacks last year in Mumbai, the nation’s commercial center.

The Obama administration has expressed concern about the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arms and has sought reassurances from the Zardari government that the weapons would not fall into extremists’ hands.

But the larger the number, the greater the risk of insecurity. President Obama should make it clear to the Pakistanis that expanding the arsenal is neither necessary nor advised.