Nuclear war warning
FROM JASON BURKE IN HUNZI GHUND, PAKISTAN

INDIA and Pakistan's conflict over Kashmir could become a full-scale nuclear war threatening a billion people, it was claimed last night.

Chaudhry Sultan Mahmood, prime minister of the Pakistan-held part of Kashmir, warned: "The situation is getting very serious, volatile and dangerous. I think there is a very, very great chance of all-out war."

He added: "Unfortunately, both countries now have the bomb, and when it escalates to the extent of violating air space then you use more, stronger weapons. The time comes that you feel you better do it first, you attack first."

Pakistan claimed to have shot down two Indian fighters over its portion of Kashmir on Thursday, increasing tension in the region over which two wars have been fought in the last half-century. Kashmir is now divided by a ceasefire line accepted after the last war.

Yesterday Islamic guerrillas fighting Indian forces in Kashmir claimed responsibility for shooting down an Indian helicopter gunship. "The situation has escalated," said Mahmood. "I think this demands urgency. I think that the international community must intervene." Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he talked to his Indian counterpart Atal Behari Vajpayee and told him that the Kashmir issue cannot be resolved without talks.

"I talked to Vajpayee today and asked him where is this leading to," Sharif told a public meeting in Karachi to mark the first anniversary of Pakistan's successful nuclear tests. "I told him and he agreed that there is no solution to Kashmir except talks."Pakistan urged India to halt its military crackdown on the disputed Kashmir border region, warning that hostilities threatened not only regional peace, but world peace. "The situation is very volatile, the two nuclear powers should not be in a state of confrontation," said a foreign ministry spokesman. In total, Pakistan and India have fought three wars since 1947.

) Express Newspapers Ltd

-- Nabi Davidson (nabi7@yahoo.com), May 28, 1999

Answers

Mon Jun 28 1999 16:45:40 UTC

All Russians recalled from US military colleges.

WASHINGTON May 29 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian Defence Ministry has recalled all its servicemen from American military colleges in protest against the continuation of bombing raids on Yugoslavia, Itar-Tass was told at the office of the Russian military attache here on Friday.

Assistant Militray Attache Lieutenant-Colonel Yevgeny Sobolev said that this referred to the nine officers, who were receiving training at U.S. military educational establishemnts under the International Educational Programme for Training Military Specialists. Some of them have already left the United States while the others are to go home shortly. They were all studying at army and naval colleges in Pennsylvania (Carlisle), California (San Francisco), New York, and in one of the suburbs of Washington. Sobolev noted that taking part in this rather vast programme, financed from the budget of the U.S. State Department, were several other countries, too.

"The given step is directly linked with what is now happening in Yugoslavia," the assistant military attache stressed. "By recalling its students, the Russian side is expressing its disagreement with the American stand on the Yugoslavia problem," he added.

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Another evidence that Russia is up to something?

-- BB (peace2u@bellatlantic.net), May 28, 1999.

BB-

standard diplomatic maneuver, and isn't interesting that despite their irritation at the Kosovo situation, they waited until the end of the semester to recall everyone?

Arlin

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), May 28, 1999.

Re: India and Pakistan's conflict over Kasmir and increased?potential for nuclear war. I am a dummy when it comes to such things, but does anyone know for a fact if these countries have operating and intact delivery systems for using nuclear weapons? I admit it worries me, especialy since I don't know enough.

-- Barb (awaltrip@telepath.com), May 29, 1999.

Barb,

Here's a story that says that both Pakistan and India have nuclear capable missiles:

Pakistan Displays Latest Missiles

Pakistan's nuclear-capable missiles rumbled down the boulevards of the capital today in a military parade marking the 59th anniversary of a resolution that led to the nation's creation.

Pakistan's newest, and as yet untested missile, called the Shaheen, was displayed alongside the Ghauri missile. Both missiles are able to strike deep within its longtime rival, neighboring India.

Lauding Pakistan's scientists for enabling the country to explode a nuclear device last year and declare itself a nuclear power, President Rafiq Tarar announced a new Survival Award specifically for them.

"After conducting the nuclear tests our defenses have become invincible,'' said Tarar. "We have become an impregnable nation.''

And he warned: "Our enemies cannot even look at us with evil intention in their heart ... we will gouge out any evil eye cast toward our country.''

Pakistan has had an uneasy relationship with India since the South Asian subcontinent gained independence from Britain in 1947 and was divided into the two countries.

After last year's underground nuclear explosions by the two nations, many international leaders expressed fears that a fourth confrontation -- India and Pakistan already have fought three wars -- could become a nuclear war.

Pakistan displays its latest weaponry at the National Day parade, which commemorates a 1940 resolution that led to the country's creation as a homeland for Muslims of the subcontinent.

While Pakistan says it doesn't want to embark on a regional nuclear arms race, Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz said Monday that the nation would not be left behind if India developed nuclear weapons.

Both Pakistan and India have nuclear-capable missiles. The Ghauri surface-to-surface missile, which was tested on April 6, 1998, has a range of 900 miles. The Shaheen surface-to-surface missile is believed to have a range of 1,200 miles.

-- Nabi Davidson (nabi7@yahoo.com), May 29, 1999.

Nabi, Thanks for the additional info. Barb

-- Barb (awaltrip@telepath.com), May 29, 1999.

For further information regarding the development of nuclear and medium/long range missle technology by Pakistan, you might want to read:

Betrayal by Bill Gertz

Gertz, who reports on national security issues for the Washington Times, is highly critical of the Clinton administration's arms control policies, especially with respect to Russia and China.

He presents a fairly compelling case that not only has China sold M-11 missles to Pakistan, but that they have also provided the Pakistan government with a complete M-11 production facility. This missle factory, according to Gertz, is located outside the northern city of Rawalpindi.

Our own governments downplaying of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program became much more difficult on May 29 of last year when Pakistan detonated their fisrt nuclear device in an underground test. This information, combined with that presented by Gertz, strongly suggest that Pakistan not only has an 'operational' nuclear weapons programs but the means with which to deliver those weapons to their most likely target (i.e. India).

-- Arnie Rimmer (Arnie_Rimmer@usa.net), May 29, 1999.