VoiCes Wanted: An end to nuclear nationalism in South Asia But the public mood for peace needs international support by Zia mian, researCh sCienTisT PrinCeTon uniVersiTy Photo by Gudrun Georges. www.gudrungeorges.com Since their back-to-back nuclear weapon 28 and 30 May 1998” and “demands that Pakistan and India appear to recognize no tests in May 1998, Pakistan and India India and Pakistan refrain from further international legal obligation to restrain have been rapidly developing and nuclear tests.” It also: or end their nuclear weapons and missile expanding their nuclear arsenals. While “Calls upon India and Pakistan programmes. They did, however, agree the two countries have maintained a immediately to stop their nuclear weapon bilaterally in 1999 that: “The two sides moratorium on nuclear testing, they development programmes, to refrain from shall continue to abide by their respective have refused to sign the Comprehensive weaponization or from the deployment of unilateral moratorium on conducting Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). They are nuclear weapons, to cease development further nuclear test explosions unless both producing highly enriched uranium of ballistic missiles capable of delivering either side, in exercise of its national and plutonium—the key ingredients for nuclear weapons and any further sovereignty decides that extraordinary nuclear weapons—and increasing their production of fissile material for nuclear events have jeopardised its supreme production capacity. They are estimated weapons, to confirm their policies not to interests.” They also reached agreement in to have approximately 100 nuclear export equipment, materials or technology 2005 on advanced notification of ballistic weapons each and they are also testing that could contribute to weapons of missile flight tests. and deploying a diverse array of nuclear- mass destruction or missiles capable capable ballistic and cruise missiles. of delivering them and to undertake International concern has flared appropriate commitments in that regard.” during crises in South Asia. Most notably, un resoluTion Condemned during the three month-long India- 1998 nuClear TesTs greaTer efforT needed To Pakistan Kargil War in 1999 and the moVe PaKisTan and india long military crisis of 2001-2002, when The headlong pursuit by Pakistan and ToWards nuClear resTrainT the two countries threatened the use of India of their nuclear weapon ambitions nuclear weapons. For the international flies in the face of a unanimous UN Having passed Resolution 1172, the community as a whole, in the decade Security Council resolution calling for United Nations Security Council and the since then the South Asian nuclear restraint in South Asia —Resolution 1172 larger international community has made arms race has taken a back seat to the (6 June 1998). The resolution “condemns no substantial effort to move Pakistan opportunities afforded by the emergence the nuclear tests conducted by India on and India towards nuclear restraint, to of India as a rising economic and strategic 11 and 13 May 1998 and by Pakistan on say nothing of nuclear disarmament. power in Asia and the importance 10 CTBTO SPECTRUM 20 | JUly 2013 accorded Pakistan since September 2001 »In the wake of the May own Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in supporting the war against Al-Qaeda 1998 nuclear tests, civil without waiting for a global treaty.” The and the Taliban in Afghanistan. These Convention also supported the demand opportunities have included massive society groups began to that “All states must commit themselves arms sales to the two countries. The 2012 focus more strongly on to cease production of additional fissile Stockholm International Peace Research materials for nuclear weapons and other Institute Yearbook reports that India was nuclear issues and the explosive purposes.” An end to the the largest arms importer in the world importance of banning production of fissile material would cap from 2007-2011 and Pakistan was the nuclear arsenals and help lay a basis for third largest importer for this period. further testing.« reducing and eliminating them. CiVil soCieTy: maKing thousands of activists working on peace In the wake of the May 1998 The Case for PeaCe and justice, women’s rights, human rights, nuclear tests, civil society groups began and CooPeraTion and labour rights. It includes teachers to focus more strongly on nuclear issues and students, journalists, former soldiers, and the importance of banning further As Pakistan and India have lurched from scholars, business people, and retired testing. Sometimes this opposition to crisis to crisis and both governments government officials1. An important focus further nuclear testing came at great cost. poured scarce resources into a ruinous of this effort has been opposing further On 3 June 1998, at a press conference conventional and nuclear arms race, a India-Pakistan wars, reversing the arms organized in Islamabad by the Pakistan- growing number of activists in the two race and promoting a process of South India People’s Forum, leading Pakistani countries have mobilized to make the Asian nuclear disarmament. public intellectual Eqbal Ahmad and case for peace and cooperation. One prominent physicist and peace activist key group is the Pakistan-India People’s india and PaKisTan should Abdul Hameed Nayyar were fiercely Forum for Peace and Democracy, which ConClude Their oWn denounced as traitors for speaking began in 1994 as a group of 25 people CTbT WiThouT WaiTing against the nuclear tests by some of the from the two countries meeting together for a global TreaTy journalists there to cover the event. They Photo by Gudrun Georges. www.gudrungeorges.com in Lahore, Pakistan. It organized its first were then physically attacked by a mob of convention in 1995 in New Delhi, which A ban on nuclear testing has been activists from an Islamist political party. brought together almost a hundred people a recurring demand of this citizens’ from each country. Since then, the annual diplomacy movement. The first In marked contrast, the governments convention has alternated between Pakistan-India Peoples' Convention on in both Pakistan and India offered Pakistan and India – when the respective Peace and Democracy, held in 1995, nuclear testing as a symbol of national governments have granted visas. agreed on a joint resolution that “India achievement. In both countries the nuclear and Pakistan should conclude their tests were announced on television This effort at people-to-people _______________ by the respective prime ministers. The diplomacy has grown to be the largest [1] These efforts are documented and assessed scientists responsible for carrying out in Smitu Kothari and Zia Mian eds., Bridging regular gathering of citizens of the two Partition: People's Initiatives for Peace between the nuclear tests were publicly feted as countries. The effort now embraces India and Pakistan, Orient Blackswan, 2010. national heroes. In Pakistan, the scientists People speaking out against nuclear testing at a press conference in Islamabad in June 1998 were abused and then assaulted. Photo courtesy of Isa Daudpota. 11 CTBTO SPECTRUM 20 | JUly 2013 »As India seeks the capacity to put multiple nuclear warheads on missiles that can threaten China, and Pakistan seeks compact nuclear Despite the public mood for peace weapons for use on the battlefield to counter between their countries, and the obvious and pressing need to direct greater Indian conventional forces, there will be resources to meet the basic social needs resistance in particular from the respective of their people, there is no sign that nuclear weapon complexes to sign the CTBT.« governments in Pakistan and India are ready to curb their nuclear build ups. As India seeks the capacity to put multiple were shown returning from the test site a demand for “No explosive testing, nuclear warheads on missiles that can in Balochistan and speaking at a live sub-critical testing, or production or threaten China, and Pakistan seeks press conference on national television. acquisition of fissile materials and tritium, compact nuclear weapons for use on the In India, there were glossy photos of for nuclear weapons purposes” by India. battlefield to counter Indian conventional scientists with Prime Minister Atal Behari forces, there will be resistance in particular Vajpayee at the test site in Rajasthan. This is only a small part of a largely from the respective nuclear weapon hidden history of local opposition to complexes to sign the CTBT. The votes On the first anniversary of the the nuclear future in South Asia2. This by both Pakistan and India at the United 1998 nuclear tests, dubbed the “Day history is being made by people far Nations General Assembly in support of of Deliverance,” Pakistan’s government removed from the corridors of national the CTBT are clearly at odds with these ordered 10 days of national celebrations. power and invisible in the great halls policies to develop their nuclear arsenals. National television and radio networks all where States meet to talk about arms But few other countries seem to care. carried programmes lauding the nuclear control and disarmament, war and tests. Cities and towns were decorated with peace. The sites of struggle are nuclear It is hard to see civil society in banners and posters of leading nuclear facilities, from uranium mines to nuclear Pakistan and India alone being able weapons scientists and Prime Minister power plants, at the nuclear weapon test to overcome the entrenched power of Nawaz Sharif against a backdrop of sites and the missile testing sites. Here the nuclear weapons complexes and mushroom clouds. Giant glowing models of local communities have fought back, the political forces that foster nuclear the mountain where the tests were carried trying to defend their livelihoods and nationalism in the two countries. Their out were erected in several cities. community rights, resisting displacement efforts would benefit greatly from and destruction of the environment, and determined efforts by the international PaKisTan should sign demanding the basic rights of citizenship: community to confront Pakistan and The CTbT immediaTely the rights to know and to be heard.