Category Archives: Nuclear weapons

Learning from Hiroshima

Nuclear weapons, War and Peace

By Zubeida Mustafa
Source: Dawn

The India-Pakistan dialogue has had many ups and downs since it was launched last year. The fact is that every time there is a “down” there are many who wait with bated breath and keep their fingers crossed.

Is there need for this over-reaction – if one may call it so? Yes, if one remembers that both India and Pakistan now have nuclear capability and could use nuclear weapons if war breaks out between them. They have threatened to do so, at least on one occasion.
Continue reading Learning from Hiroshima →

To go nuclear or not is the question

Archive Edition, Defence and Disarmament, Development and Poverty, Economy, Education, Foreign Policy of Pakistan, Health, Human Rights, International Politics, Nuclear weapons, Social Issues, War and Peace

By Zubeida Mustafa

THE suspension of American aid to Pakistan has produced one positive result. It has for the first time brought into the open the nuclear debate in this country.

Given the categorical linkage Washington instituted between the flow of economic assistance to Pakistan and nuclear non-prolif eration, Islamabad never encouraged a public discussion on the atom bomb.

To use Stephen Cohen’s term, a policy of ‘designed ambiguity’ was adopted. In other words, the capacity and the will of the government to go nuclear are deliberately kept ambivalent. Continue reading To go nuclear or not is the question →

War and peace — why are women not concerned?

Archive Edition, Defence and Disarmament, Development and Poverty, Education, Foreign Policy of Pakistan, Health, International Politics, Nuclear weapons, Social Issues, Terrorism and Violence, Women

By Zubaida Mustafa

The issue conspicuously missing in the debates that take place in women’s forum in Pakistan is that of war, peace and disarmament. Somehow these topics are considered to be of masculine interest only and one hardly comes across women leaders speaking about them — least of all, in meetings of women’s organisations.

That women should keep off such issues in our country is not difficult to understand — though by no means easy to justify. Women have traditionally been kept out of the higher decision-making process or statecraft. Continue reading War and peace — why are women not concerned? →