IN his column, 'Wise words from an old warrior' (April 26), Ardeshir Cowasjee has quoted excerpts from a speech given by the former chief of the PAF, Air Marshal Asghar Khan.

Some of his arguments are considered here. First, that it is being advocated even in British circles that the UK shouldn't spend huge sums of money on preparing for a nuclear war because there is only the risk of a conventional war. Therefore, Pakistan, too, should not waste its scarce resources on atomic weapons.

Second, that whereas Pakistan's nuclear capability is admittedly 'India-specific', India can justify its nukes as being a deterrent against China, for instance. Besides, India can argue that it is justified in demanding a permanent seat in the UNSC and also feels that being a nuclear power would provide a justification.

Third, if we renounce our nuclear option and open ourselves to international inspection, there would remain no possibility of India or any other country using atomic weapons against us.

Mr Khan has further claimed that during the past 60 years India never started hostilities against us, unless provoked to do so, or until we create conditions, as in 1971 in East Pakistan, for India to interfere militarily. Also, that we must spend much more on education, which would protect us from Talibanisation as well.

a) These arguments ignore several realities, are partly naïve and also defeatist in accepting Indias drive for a permanent UNSC seat, which many countries oppose. The UK doesn't have an enemy that has either tried to dismember it or is likely to threaten its physical existence, or has an intractable territorial dispute, like Kashmir. Therefore, its situation is totally different than ours.

b) The gentleman also forgets the fact that as far back as 1948 Indian prime minister Nehru had publicly said that India must acquire nuclear power. It was the year China was to gain independence and took until 1964 to test its first atomic device. This shows it wasn't the Chinese or Pakistani nukes that could have justified his stance.

The real reason apparently was that, having seen how the US had turned the tide of the WW II by dropping nuclear bombs on Japan, Mr Nehru would have realised the immense power that would accrue to his nation if it, to, possessed them, thereby indicating his big-power ambitions for India even then.

c) The other fact is that just last year Rahul Gandhi had publicly admitted that the powerful Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, of which he is a scion, had long nurtured the ambition of breaking up Pakistan. Apart from that, India's holding back of Pakistan's share of financial and military assets at partition showed its wish to cripple this country right at its birth.

Furthermore, the occupation of Hyderabad, Junagadh, Kashmir, Goa and Sikkim shows its expansionist nature. Furthermore, Mr Khan is also forgetting how New Delhi occupied Siachen, without any provocation in 1984, which is bleeding both the countries of precious resources.

Another crucial consideration is that whereas the West and Russia are willing to sell to India nearly all types of latest weapons that it seeks, often with transfer of technology, these are usually not available to Pakistan. Thus, we can never hope to match New Delhi in conventional ability.Significantly, a report in Dawn (April 5, 2005) had quoted the then Indian defence minister Pranab Mukherjee as telling the senior army commanders that a future conventional war in the region was neither likely nor something to worry about, but said it was a larger nuclear threat... (and a) terrorist menace they should watch out for. This directly opposes Mr Khan's argument about preparing only for a conventional war.

Finally, the Israeli foreign minister has recently done a U-turn by saying that Iran is not the biggest threat to his country but Afghanistan, and Pakistan with its nuclear capability, is. Besides, given the interference in Balochistan by several powers, most notably India, we need to keep all our options open. But, I heartily agree with Air Marshal Asghar Khan that we must devote far greater funds to promote education as an antidote to extremism.

A. RASHID

Karachi