The Pakistan Taliban attack on a “secure” naval base in Karachi raises, yet again, questions in my mind about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear facilities.

These must be high on the Taliban target list.

I would be shocked but not surprised if they came under attack.

The simple answer is for Pakistan to get rid of its nuclear weapons and transfer all the money from its nuclear programme into education where illiteracy rates are a national scandal.

I recall speaking to an audience of British Pakistanis in Brierfield Community Centre in 1998, just after Pakistan had detonated a nuclear device for the first time. There was wild cheering and congratulatory back slapping at the news that Pakistan was, at last, a nuclear weapons State.

I was there to talk about something else entirely. But when I saw everyone’s delight in Pakistan’s nuclear status, I threw away the speech I had intended to make, arguing instead that the money wasted on this nuclear white elephant should be spent on schools instead.

I sat down to silence.

Since then, Pakistan’s population has grown from around 130 million to 175 million today with the UN projecting a population of 234 million within 20 years.

With only 1% of Pakistanis paying income tax where are the resources to come from to educate the country’s rising generation, let alone the present one?

The £650 million recently promised by the UK Government will help, but at the margins.

Unfortunately, Pakistan’s self serving elite shows no sign of appreciating the enormity of the task ahead.

Pakistan needs its very own Arab Spring.

Attachments:

87 GC May 1998.pdf

[Pendle Party Report May 1998]

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