WASHINGTON: The Central Intelligence Agency said that the Cut off of economic and military aid to Pakistan has not stopped Islamabad from spending money on nuclear weapons program.

In a written reply to questions Sen It to by the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, the CIA Said of the money Pakistan had received since 1980, 14% was in the form of “untied” loans and grants. This money, amounting to 2.7 billion dollars, helped Pakistan pursue its nuclear program.

The questions were part of 100 questions sent to CLA chief James Woolsey by members of the Senate Committee on Government Affairs headed by Senator Glenn. The questions were received in August and put on public record last month.

The question “How is Pakistan one of the world’s poorest nations funding its bomb program? Is foreign financial assistance from other nations or organizations freeing up domestic funds for use in the bomb program, and if so who are the benefactors? “Answer: “Loans and grants from both bilateral and multilateral aid agencies tree money for Pakistan to spend on its nuclear program.

“Since 1980, Pakistan has received a total of about $19 billion in aid from bilateral and multilateral donors and lenders, about 14%or $2.7 billion—of disbursements since 1980 were untied loans and grants from the International Monetary Fund, the United States, Japan, the European Community, Arab countries and others.

“Theoretically, these untied funds helped finance civilian imports freeing an equivalent amount of funds to spend on the nuclear program.

Asked about Chinese help to Pakistan in its missile and nuclear plans, the (LA answers said prior to signing the NPT, Beijing “probably provided some nuclear weapons related assistance to Islamabad and that may have included training and equipment.”

The CIA said China had “consistently regarded a nuclear armed Pakistan as a crucial regional ally and vital counterweight to India’s growing military capabilities.”

Asked to confirm or deny Russian intelligence reports that Pakistan could produce 12 bombs annually, the CIA said its answer would not be made public. “Sources and methods concerns prevent us from supplying an unclassified response. “

The intelligence agency gave the same answer to a question whether China was working on a missile similar to the Stinger, supplied by the United States to Pakistan during the Afghan war.

Asked which countries had been “the key suppliers of Pakistan’s nuclear program, the CIA answer said Pakistan had “an extensive, covert nuclear procurement operation” which acquired or attempted to acquire technology for both peaceful and nuclear purposes The agency said it would not identify specific companies having nuclear deals with Pakistan, because much of the information came from “sensitive sources which would be compromised” i the CIA named them.

Both countries were producing weapon components and would “quickly assemble a small arsenal of nuclear weapons,” though it said a nuclear arms race— “in the sense that both sides are making extraordinary efforts to increase rapidly the size of their arsenals did not appear to be occurring.

 

The CIA believed neither Pakistan nor India maintained “assembled or deployed nuclear weapons. “ The two countries current postures, the CLA answer said, allowed both sides to deny they have nuclear weapons, while, in effect, having easy access to such weapons.

Article extracted from this publication >>  November 12, 1993