Former CIA officer Richard Barlow revealed that a proposed joint operation by India and Israel in the early 1980s to strike Pakistan's Kahuta nuclear facility was not approved by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
"I was out of government from 1982 until 1985. And I think that may have occurred while I was out of government. I heard about it at some point. But I didn't get my teeth into it because it never happened.
It's a shame that Indira [Gandhi] didn't approve it; it would have solved a lot of problems," Barlow told news agency ANI.
(Richard Barlow was part of the American intelligence agency as a counterproliferation officer during Pakistan's clandestine nuclear activities in the 1980s. -- India Today )
“Pakistan’s primary motive for developing nuclear weapons was to counter India. But it was also very clear from AQ Khan and the generals’ perspective that it was not just the Pakistani bomb; it was the Islamic bomb — the Muslim bomb,” said Barlow.
“I think AQ Khan was even quoted once as saying, ‘We’ve got the Christian bomb, the Jewish bomb, and the Hindu bomb; we need a Muslim bomb.’ It was very clear to me that Pakistan intended to provide nuclear weapons technology to other Muslim countries — which is what happened,” he added.
However, the phrase “Muslim bomb” did not originate with Khan but with then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who initiated Pakistan’s nuclear programme and placed Khan at its helm.
The aim was to prevent Islamabad from developing nuclear weapons and potentially proliferating them, particularly to Iran, which Israel views as a major adversary.
"I think Reagan would have cut Menachem Begin's ba**s off if he did anything like that. Because it would have interfered with the Afghan problem," Barlow remarked, referring to the former Israeli Prime Minister's potential involvement.
The remarks make a lot of sense because Barlow, who served as a counter proliferation officer during Pakistan’s clandestine nuclear activities in the 1980s, believed that the United States, under President Ronald Reagan, would have strongly opposed any strike on Kahuta, especially if Israel were involved.
Such an action could have jeopardized America’s covert support for the anti-Soviet campaign in Afghanistan.
He also highlighted how Pakistan leveraged its cooperation in Afghanistan to deter US intervention in its nuclear program. Pakistani officials, including Munir Ahmad Khan, used the flow of covert aid as leverage, warning US lawmakers that disrupting support would affect the anti-Soviet campaign.
"As you alluded to, what Munir Khan said was that they were basically using the flow of covert aid to the Mujahideen as blackmail. I think that's what Munir was saying to (US Congressman Stephen) Solarz--if you pull aid, we're not going to support the Mujahideen anymore," he added.
The Kathua enrichment facility established under the direction of Pakistan's nuclear architect A Q Khan, later became central to Pakistan's successful pursuits of nuclear weapons.
Barlow further detailed a 1987 undercover operation against Pakistani agent Arshad Pervez, who attempted to buy 25 tons of maraging steel, critical for uranium enrichment, from a US company.
The operation, run jointly by the CIA and US Customs, exposed links to retired Brigadier General Inam-ul-Haq, a known procurement agent for both Khan Research Laboratories and the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.
However, Barlow said the operation was compromised when senior US State Department officials allegedly tipped off Pakistan about Haq’s pending arrest.
Barlow stated that the White House and the State Department found legal loopholes to continue providing aid to Pakistan.
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| Indira Gandhi and her family |
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