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WASHINGTON: The United States has told the Soviet Union to keep “hands off” Pakistan following a tough warning by Moscow to Islamabad about its nuclear programmer, “The Washington Post” reported today, Quoting Administration sources, “Posts” team of diplomatic correspondents said in a front page dispatch that the unpublicized exchanges between Moscow and Washington took place last month. The dispatch said the discussion was generated by a “direct and unusually tough” Soviet warning to Pakistan about its nuclear activities, including a charge that Islamabad was on the verge of constructing a nuclear bomb, which Moscow indicated it would not tolerate, It said the Reagan Administration, upon learning of the warning, responded with its private message to Moscow reiterating strong U.S.
Commitment to Pakistan’s security! According to the “Post”, one official described the U.S. message as extremely grave and said that Washington, in effect, told Moscow to keep “hands off Pakistan”,
The security of Pakistan as well as its nuclear programmer was discussed during the visit of Prime Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo.
Pakistan has all along said that its nuclear programmer is not weapon oriented and is geared entirely for peaceful purposes.
The “Post” said the immediate impetus for the recent Soviet warning to Pakistan was a visit 0 Moscow in mid-June by Indian Foreign Minister P. Shiv Shankar who reportedly complained vociferously about Pakistan’s nuclear efforts.
Moscow’s warning which was delivered by the Soviet Ambassador in Islamabad also covered
The Afghanistan issues, it said. It was considered particularly) important though, because of the nuclear aspect which had not been a matter of urgency in other recent Moscow-Islamabad exchanges. Over the years, the United States has been pressing Pakistan on its nuclear programmer and the Carter Administration cut U.S. aid to Pakistan.
The Reagan Administration ~ which began a 3.2 billion dollars Pakistan aid program in 1981, has been required by Congress to certify annually that Pakistan does not “posse” an atomic bomb, According to the dispatch, a stronger assurance may be required to persuade Congress to approve a new four million dollars aid programss negotiated with Pakistan in March.
But once congressional source: was quoted as saying, “there is no question that (Pakistan) has the bomb or will soon have.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 1, 1986
