Nuclear rogue states

H WAHEED

Both the Indian and US media have been quite vocal in the recent past, voicing concerns about Pakistan's nuclear programme. In some bizarre incidents, we have witnessed that the nuclear safeguards of both the nations have been under regular breach.

Let me recall US nuke incidents. A sensitive list of US nuclear sites was mistakenly posted on the Internet, and in another case that shocked the whole world, a B-52 bomber was mistakenly armed with six nuclear warheads and flown for more than three hours across several US states. As far as Indian nukes are concerned, a few days back a fire accident left two people dead at India's main nuclear research laboratory, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai.

Times of India reported on November 30, 2009 about radiation contamination at the Kaiga nuclear plant in Karnataka. The locals residing in surrounding area suffered the consequences. Another case was the sudden disappearance of a top nuclear scientist L Mahalingam - with access to sensitive information - who was later found dead. Two to three tons of water leaked out of an atomic reactor in western India on August 5, 1981. An examination of the safety record in India's nuclear facilities reveals poor practices and routine accidents, ranging from leaks of oil to complete loss of power in a reactor, causing all safety systems to be disabled.

Such a series of blunders places the US and India in the list of the world's most dangerous nuclear powers. Pakistan has no such history since Pakistan's nuclear command and control system remains one of the most sophisticated and secure in the world. Hats off for the unsung heroes of our nuclear assets.