Pakistan's nuclear weapons: features, history and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

Now Pakistan, without a doubt, is one of the most promising and rapidly developing countries in the world. In many ways, this country has reached such heights thanks to Pakistan's nuclear weapons. There are only nine nuclear powers in the world. To become one of them, you need to spend a lot of time and effort. But eventually Pakistan became the fifth most powerful nuclear power.

Mysterious

At the moment, it is impossible to estimate with absolute accuracy how many nuclear weapons the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has. In fact, this is almost impossible, since information on this matter is classified in the vast majority of cases. But one way or another, investigations have recently begun, and people began to find out exactly how this story began. But once upon a time, the question of whether Pakistan has nuclear weapons caused only bewilderment.

How it all began

The man whoinitiated the development of nuclear technology in Pakistan, was called Abdul Qadeer Khan. He was not only a physicist, but also a brilliant engineer. Abdul Qadeer Khan was well versed in metallurgy. Employers appreciated him, he was promised a great future. Having defended his doctorate, Abdul Kadir Khan began to work in the international organization URENCO. It employs representatives from such countries as the Federal Republic of Germany, the United States of America, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. This company was engaged in enriching uranium in order to subsequently use it in nuclear power plants. This is how Pakistan got nuclear weapons.

Structure

On the eve of 1974, Abdul Qadeer Khan, along with scientists from other countries, worked tirelessly on the classified URENCO project. Work was carried out on uranium. They sought to separate natural uranium into enriched and depleted. To do this, it was necessary to increase the amount of the rather rare U235 atom. Natural uranium was ninety-nine and two-tenths percent U238. There were so few U235 there that not even one percent would have been found. According to the most accurate estimates, natural uranium contains 0.72% of it. But if this small amount is increased, then you get a real nuclear weapon, because U235 can independently conduct a nuclear chain reaction.

That is, in human terms, they created nuclear weapons of mass destruction.

By the end of 1974, Abdul Qadeer Khan managed to win the trust and respect of his superiors and partners. He had accessto almost all information about the secret URENCO project, which was quite expected, because Abdul Kadyr Khan also held the corresponding position.

About a year later, in 1975, physicist and engineer Kadeer Khan came back to Pakistan, but not alone. He brought with him classified documents related to the creation of a nuclear bomb. This is where Pakistan got its nuclear weapons in the first place.

Development of nuclear weapons

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, a British Indian-born politician and then acting prime minister of Pakistan, ordered work to begin on a nuclear bomb in line with URENCO research. He established the Ministry of Science and Technology and increased the powers of the Atomic Energy Commission.

Abdul Qadeer Khan was expected to receive all sorts of honors. Almost instantly, a laboratory was organized for him with all the necessary conditions. By the way, this laboratory was named after Abdul Khan.

At the same time, in another laboratory, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission was working to create another atomic bomb, only based on plutonium. After several years of independent work, the laboratories united.

As for Abdul Kadir Khan, in 2004 he stated on an international channel that he had indeed stolen nuclear weapons developments from the URENCO organization, where at that time he held a significant position. After that, the Pakistani authorities completely limited his ties with the rest of the world and put him underHouse arrest. He has not yet been released. Abdul Qadeer Khan never managed to tell his full story, and the general public can only guess.

Plan

Pakistan's nuclear program is pretty ambitious, so to speak. They worked every year on their project. In the period from 1976 to 1978, the Pakistanis, with the help of the French, tried to process nuclear fuel, but in the end the joint activity ceased. However, just one decade later, in 1988, a uranium processing plant was built in the city of Kahuta.

Thirteen years later, for the first time in Pakistan, it is possible to mine weapons-grade plutonium.

May 28, 1998 was marked by the fact that in the province of Pakistan Balochistan in the city of Chagay there were from two to six nuclear weapons tests. Two days later, another test was conducted at the same test site. This is how Pakistan got nuclear weapons.

Potential

Pakistan is often described as having the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons. And they are constantly creating new types of it! This country cannot be underestimated just because it is inferior to the United States and a number of European countries from an economic point of view. The state has enough weapons to defend itself against aggression from any of these countries, which is what the famous Pakistani Nuclear Doctrine says.

Empowerment Policy

Start with the very basics. The point is that thisa kind of set of rules is based, among other things, on the recently out of fashion Game Theory. Pretty weird, isn't it? In fact, there is nothing strange about this. After all, Game Theory does not describe hide and seek at all. It explains how the confrontation between the two sides takes place. In the case of the doctrine, these two parties are, firstly, Pakistan itself, and secondly, a foreign aggressor who has harmed this country in some way. Basically, the "foreign aggressor" refers to India, but for other countries the rules remain the same. So when is Pakistan ready to use weapons of mass destruction?

Types of aggression

Number one is one of the most common forms of aggression: troops crossing a foreign border. The doctrine clearly states that if the army of India or any other aggressor country dares to cross the borders of their country, then the government will use nuclear weapons against the invaders. However, there is a caveat here. Pakistan will only use weapons of mass destruction if state troops fail to stop the invasion. There is an opinion that Indian troops can reach the territory of Pakistan to the Indus Valley without provoking a nuclear strike.

The second potential situation mentioned in the Pakistan Doctrine is the fact that this state will never allow its enemies to prosper. Also, this item can be considered one of the most powerful ways to protect, because even in the event of a victory, the enemy country will suffercrushing defeat. The bottom line is that if the Pakistani army is on the verge of destruction, and it becomes clear that defeat is inevitable, Pakistan will use nuclear weapons against the enemy country.

Also, if the aggressor is the first to use chemical or biological weapons, the country, of course, will respond in kind.

Economy is more closely related to politics than it might seem. Proof of this is the Doctrine of Pakistan, which states that in the event of a deliberate economic strike on the country, they are ready to use nuclear weapons.

Propaganda in certain districts of the state, the spread of separatist sentiment in society can also serve as an impetus for the use of nuclear weapons. But only on condition that the well-being and independence of the country will be endangered.

But in practice

Actually, that's not all. Only the official part. As you know, in 1998, the representative of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United Nations, Shamshad Ahmad, said that his country was ready to use nuclear weapons not only for self-defense, but also, without any doubt, would act as an aggressor if India's actions in the international arena seemed suspicious to them. or threatening.

Plan

First of all, Pakistan undertakes to warn the country that has shown itself to be the aggressor that they intend to respond to the threat with a nuclear attack. Incidentally, this statementmay not be brought to the state level. Nothing of the sort is required. If this warning does not have the desired effect, then Pakistan moves to the next level and detonates a bomb on its own soil. If this does not force the country that threatens the sovereignty of the state to stop, then a nuclear attack is carried out not to intimidate, but to hit the enemy army.

The next and one of the last steps is that Pakistan launches a nuclear strike already on the territory of the enemy country. It is assumed that only objects necessary for waging war, namely factories producing tanks, ammunition, any weapons, laboratories, and so on, will become victims. All these facilities should be located away from densely populated areas, but in fact this is only in theory. In fact, senseless sacrifices cannot be avoided. And the account will no longer go into hundreds and thousands, but into millions, since other states, of course, will not simply observe a nuclear war from afar.

India-Pakistan nuclear weapons

But underestimate the fact that the government of Pakistan initiated the development of nuclear weapons in response to the emergence of nuclear weapons in India. Even now, the doctrine mostly sees India as the enemy. And paradoxically, but Pakistan's aggression pushed this country to create a nuclear bomb. Other reasons include strained relations with the People's Democratic Republic of China. And here is the answer to the question, where did India and Pakistan come fromnuclear weapons.

Equality around the world

In 1965 Pakistani Foreign Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto argued that since Christians, Jews and Hindus had access to nuclear weapons, Muslims deserved the same privilege.

The American government also strongly protested the existence of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and even initiated an international embargo against the country. But this did not prevent Pakistan from becoming a nuclear power and threatening the whole world if someone tries to attack the country or hinder its development.