A few years after America and NATO's invasion of Afghanistan, many journalists and political analysists claimed that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal was under the threat of take over by the Taliban and other extremist groups.
This idea was later amplified by news agencies on their television news reports and the Internet, especially by Pakistani bashing groups from India and America.
People who buy into this idea including Pakistanis should ask themselves a few questions. Do they know that nuclear weapons are not operated by simple buttons, but by an entire system of codes and sophisticated machinery?
If so do they really think that a bunch of primitive savages like the Taliban have the knowledge to operate such sophisticated technology? And if so do they realize that the Taliban need certain codes to gain control over the nuclear warheads and to operate them? Codes that are restricted to some nuclear scientists and anonymous people in the government.
I am surprised that whenever questioned on this issue, neither has Zardari nor any other Pakistani politician pointed out the facts that I have stated above.
Their only responses have been the same assurances that the nuclear weapons facilities are well protected.
And even if they weren't protected, let us imagine a scenario where the Taliban take over the facilities.
How would they be able to operate or understand the machinery and technical specifications required to use these nuclear warheads? Especially when even an educated person will have difficulty figuring out how such an advanced system works.
And then what of the codes? Nuclear weapons are unusable until they are charged, much like a gun being unusable until it is loaded.
To arm and launch the nuclear warheads, the Taliban will need to know the set of codes and how to input these codes into the launch system.
In the end, the Taliban in control of Pakistan's nuclear facilities is as dangerous as a four year old child with an empty handgun.
But most people who buy into the common idea that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are prone to Taliban control do not take such important points and questions into account.
They usually buy into this idea because somebody on TV or the newspaper or the Internet said so.
Also many enemies of Pakistan push this idea without providing any proof or solid evidence that the Taliban has even the slightest knowledge on such sophisticated technology.
Some defenders of this new phenomenon claim that there are those in the Pakistani government sympathetic to Al-Queda and the Taliban who would aid them in gaining the country's nuclear arsenal and the know how to operate them.
But the problem is that these people fail to name the Taliban sympathizers in the Pakistani government or to the fact that the Pakistani government's support for the Taliban- which was politically motivated- has all ended.
Infact the ISI, a common scapegoat for instability in the region has been targeted several times by the Taliban for the Pakistani military's war against them.
All the support that Pakistan used to have for the Taliban was politically motivated and has ended for almost ten years ago until anyone can prove otherwise.
Many supporters of this idea of extremists taking over the nuclear arsenal of Pakistan usually repeat their statements without touching on the key points that have been mentioned above; probably because it would kill their crazy theories.
All my points and questions have been raised simply through common sense. This is something many today lack when it comes to world politics, even many Pakistanis, hence they believe what they are told.
Beliefs such as these have all sorts of gains in them. For Indian extremists and other anti-Pakistani elements in the world, it helps spread Pakophobia and defame Pakistan.
For others such as news agencies and journalists, it helps sell more books and newspapers which has plenty of profits in store.
This idea was later amplified by news agencies on their television news reports and the Internet, especially by Pakistani bashing groups from India and America.
People who buy into this idea including Pakistanis should ask themselves a few questions. Do they know that nuclear weapons are not operated by simple buttons, but by an entire system of codes and sophisticated machinery?
If so do they really think that a bunch of primitive savages like the Taliban have the knowledge to operate such sophisticated technology? And if so do they realize that the Taliban need certain codes to gain control over the nuclear warheads and to operate them? Codes that are restricted to some nuclear scientists and anonymous people in the government.
I am surprised that whenever questioned on this issue, neither has Zardari nor any other Pakistani politician pointed out the facts that I have stated above.
Their only responses have been the same assurances that the nuclear weapons facilities are well protected.
And even if they weren't protected, let us imagine a scenario where the Taliban take over the facilities.
How would they be able to operate or understand the machinery and technical specifications required to use these nuclear warheads? Especially when even an educated person will have difficulty figuring out how such an advanced system works.
And then what of the codes? Nuclear weapons are unusable until they are charged, much like a gun being unusable until it is loaded.
To arm and launch the nuclear warheads, the Taliban will need to know the set of codes and how to input these codes into the launch system.
In the end, the Taliban in control of Pakistan's nuclear facilities is as dangerous as a four year old child with an empty handgun.
But most people who buy into the common idea that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are prone to Taliban control do not take such important points and questions into account.
They usually buy into this idea because somebody on TV or the newspaper or the Internet said so.
Also many enemies of Pakistan push this idea without providing any proof or solid evidence that the Taliban has even the slightest knowledge on such sophisticated technology.
Some defenders of this new phenomenon claim that there are those in the Pakistani government sympathetic to Al-Queda and the Taliban who would aid them in gaining the country's nuclear arsenal and the know how to operate them.
But the problem is that these people fail to name the Taliban sympathizers in the Pakistani government or to the fact that the Pakistani government's support for the Taliban- which was politically motivated- has all ended.
Infact the ISI, a common scapegoat for instability in the region has been targeted several times by the Taliban for the Pakistani military's war against them.
All the support that Pakistan used to have for the Taliban was politically motivated and has ended for almost ten years ago until anyone can prove otherwise.
Many supporters of this idea of extremists taking over the nuclear arsenal of Pakistan usually repeat their statements without touching on the key points that have been mentioned above; probably because it would kill their crazy theories.
All my points and questions have been raised simply through common sense. This is something many today lack when it comes to world politics, even many Pakistanis, hence they believe what they are told.
Beliefs such as these have all sorts of gains in them. For Indian extremists and other anti-Pakistani elements in the world, it helps spread Pakophobia and defame Pakistan.
For others such as news agencies and journalists, it helps sell more books and newspapers which has plenty of profits in store.
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