> How are you going to retaliate against the Jihadis if
> they, say, get a nuke from a Pakistani sympathizer or
> some other source and smuggle it into Moscow or Delhi
> (assuming that's technically possible -- let's say it
> is)? Jihadis are non-state agents. The most you can do
> is retaliate against a state where jihadis are known
> to be.
Russians seem to have discussed these questions with the US. See news report below,"Threat of Pak N-arms falling into terrorist hands exists: Russia". For info Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme see Pakistan's Nuclear Forces 2001, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Jan-Feb 2002 at http://www.thebulletin.org/article_nn.php?art_ofn=jf02norris
Ulhas
HindustanTimes.com
Saturday, September 13, 2003
Threat of Pak N-arms falling into terrorist hands exists: Russia
Vinay Shukla (Press Trust of India) Moscow, September 13
The threat of Pakistani nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists s "no more purely theoretical" and this issue had been repeatedly discussed by the Russian-American sub-group dealing with proliferation of mass destruction weapons, Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov has said.
"The threat of Pakistani nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists is no more purely theoretical due to presence of large number of extremist groups in Pakistan," Trubnikov told Moscow-based Indian journalists in an interview.
"We have a sub-group with the US, which has repeatedly discussed the threat of MDW, not only the nuclear weapons, falling into the hands of the terrorists," Trubnikov added.
He said this problem could be solved only through the United Nations and the Security Council, as well as by the global anti-terror coalition.
He reminded that Moscow has presented its draft of the UN convention for combating nuclear terrorism and New Delhi has proposed a Global convention on combating the scourge.
"India and Russia could actively interact for the adoption of these conventions by the United Nations to tackle this threat," Trubnikov said.
Trubnikov is co-chairman of Indo-Russian and Russian-American joint working groups on countering new global challenges, originally set up by Moscow with New Delhi and Washington in 2000 as joint bodies for tackling the threat of international terrorism emanating from the Taliban- controlled Afghanistan. "ISI and a section of Pakistani leadership are helping Taliban in regrouping in Afghanistan," Trubnikov claimed.
He said the Afghan issue was discussed by him in detail during last week's parleys with Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal.
Taliban are re-grouping in Pakistan's tribal belt and in some pockets of Afghanistan... The ongoing talks about so called 'moderate' Taliban and their possible inclusion in a coalition government are only encouraging them, Trubnikov noted.
"We have taken up strongly with Pakistan and United States the Pakistani leadership crackdown on the terrorist infrastructure inside the country, but ISI and a section of leadership is helping Taliban in regrouping," he added. Pakistan, he said is making obvious attempts to exert pressure on Kabul, including attempts to transform Durand Line into international border between the two countries. Some circles in Pakistan are making attempts to contra pose Afghanistan and India, but the two countries have historical and traditionally very close ties," Trubnikov said.
© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2003.