A warning about Pakistan’s illusion of power

The following article is the English translation of the introduction to a 2014 book in Urdu, Taqat ka Sarab (Illusion of Power), edited by A. H. Nayyar, which aims to educate Pakistanis about the attitudes of their leadership toward nuclear weapons. In his introduction, I. A. Rehman explains that Pakistan’s people have come to believe that the successful acquisition of nuclear capability means that their nation’s security is forever ensured. Meanwhile, the politicians who ordered nuclear tests—and the scientists and government functionaries who helped create the nuclear weapons—have used the mere presence of this nuclear weaponry as the justification for demanding not only public recognition and honor but also the right to unlimited authority for ruling over Pakistan. Consequently, free discussion and honest opinion about nuclear weapons have been nearly prohibited, under the premise that any such talk poses a basic threat to national security.