Daily Times

If nuclear weapons are political weapons, largely developed to wave a menacing finger or pull one up neighbour, nuclear-related sanctions have also long stopped being war-deterrents.

Here too, permissions slips are handed to the blue-eyed, golden-haired and the back-benchers constantly terrified. So if the US has decided to, for the millionth time, play the cat-and-mouse game with Pakistan, imposing new sanctions against the long-range ballistic missile program, it has neither been surprising nor dramatic. In a neighbourhood as precarious as South Asia, where these weapons have played a crucial role in stopping hawkish elements in India at the brink of war since 1998, deterring its aggressions, both tactic and strategic, actively supporting moves that reek of military asymmetries stand in stark contrast to peace objectives.

Those sitting in Washington would do well to dare look past the Indian lobby script and instead renew its commitment towards regional security and strategic stability.

Looking back, Bill Clinton had not batted an eyelid before slapping Islamabad with severe sanctions in the wake of the 1988 explosions but the Sharif administration persisted. Things largely remained business as usual as most of these sanctions were never fully implemented and therefore, chances of any restraining effect on the ballistic missile program remain slim.

Just as any other sovereign country, Pakistan’s national security is non-negotiable, very aptly asserted by the Foreign Office, which sharply criticised the move as “discriminatory.”

Regional adversaries must unequivocally demonstrate nuclear restraint and responsibility, and establish effective command and control systems. No second-guessing that. But such issues need not be tainted with unsubstantiated assertions. If the free world were actually concerned about the state of broader regional security challenges, they would have prioritised astute diplomacy and sincere reforms from all sides.

Why is it that no efforts are made to address the root causes of this rat race and the critical yet consistent part of war economies like the US that are adding to the complexities? *