Willie Brigitte Revelations Mean Paksitan Army Itself A Threat To Pak Nukes And Installations

Shailesh Kumar

New Delhi
The theory of rogue extremist elements in Pakisan Army is again justified by the revelations of Willie Brigitte, the convicted French terrorist whose handlers were none other than the Pakistan Mililtary Officers. The sensational claim is made by the Jean-Louis Bruguiere, the legendry French Magistrate responsible for the arrest of world's most wanted terrorist, Carlos, "The Jackal". Bruguiere has exposed Pakistan Army accused of running terrorists training camps in his upcomming book, 'What I could Not Say'. The terrorist, Willie Brigitte, having proven links with top Al- Qaeda leaders revealed in his deep interrogation to Bruguirre that he was trained by a Pakistan Military officer, Sajid, in a training camp jointly run by Al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Willie Brigitte was sent to Australia as a part of a module assigned with the task of attacks on targets, which included a nuclear installation in Australia. This substantiation again raised the question on the safety of Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons and nuclear installations. Elite Special Force of Pakistan whose officers are drawn from Pakistan Army handles the security of Pakistans nuclear weapons and installations. Of late many attempted attacks on Pakistan's nuclear installations by Tehrik-e-Taliban raised world wide concerns on Pak's nukes attcked or falling in the hands of non- state- actors.

Pakistan is understood to possess around 100 nuclear weapons based on Highly Enriched Uranium. A nuclear weapon is ready when warhead is coupled with the arming device, the detonator. This is to then taken to a launcher. In Pakistan, the delievery systems are Shaheen-I, Shaheen-II, Gauri Missile, Babar cruise missile beside F-16 fighter jets. The threat of possible attack on recess deterrence is not so real. But, facilities like Wah Cantonment in Pakistan which can make a weapon ready in just a few hours for launch are at bigger security risk. Pakistan from last year has started facilities to produce plutonium. The nuclear weapon based on plutonium would be more lethal, lighter and could be mounted on cruize missile. Why Pakistan is building such a arsenal while it claims to have a minimum nuclear deterrence against India. Moreover at a time when Pakistan's nuclear installations are Taliban targets. There have been several Taliban attacks on Pakistan nuclear facilities in recent times. The prominent ones are Sargodha and Qamra air base and Rawalpindi. Most of Pakistans nuclear installations, weapon sites like Chitar in Karakoram Range, Chagai Hills in Balochistan, NWFP, FATA and Punjab province are areas where Pakistani Taliban rule the roost. Taliban wants to embarass the Pakistani army and Taliban Al- Qaeda network trying hard to possess nucear capability. Earlier reports were filed that the ex director of Khushab Nuclear Complex met with top Al- Qaeda leaders including Osama- Bin- Laden and Al Jawahary.

The most recent attack on Army General Headquarter (GHQ) again raised an alarm over Pakistan's nuclear safety. 35 people were killed in the attack including many personnel of the army. The attack site is barely few kilometers from the Pakistan Kahuta Nuclear Complex. Earlier also Taliban Fidayeen rammed a motorcycle into a bus carrying Pakistan's nuclear scientists and engineers in Rawalpindi barely 18 km from Islamabad. Concerned with Pakistan's nuclear security, it is most probable that the America has deployed its 1000 marines in the heart of Pakistan Capital, the Islamabad. In th recent GHQ attack role of banned Islamic terror organisation Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba was suspected. The said organisation is known to have received full covert support from Pakistan's ISI. This is shocking as over 10000 personnel, who guards Pakistan's nukes are from Military Intelligence, Intelligence Bureau of Pakistan and ISI. Though the Pakistan Army is capable of safeguarding the nukes or facilities. But extreme riligious elements in Pakistan Army might have seived into the security network involves in the nuclear weapons. Pakistan has a very robust nuclear security plan which include the physical security, personnel security, authentication code and the dummy. Pakistan nuclear weapons are physically isolated and intrusion devices are installed for safeguard. The personnel involved in the security are drawn after strict selection procedure. Army man from Panjab province or from Pashtun areas are not taken into the elite force for having fear of them linked with Tehrik-e-Taliban or radicle organisations. Then there is personal authentication code at all level. No single person can take a decision involved in the security at ant level. Besides spying in each other, military intelligence and IB provides constant inputs. To further safeguard, they use dummies as well. But despite this Pakistan nuclear facilities are on target from Taliban or the elements within the Army.

The proof of this has been again substantiated by the Willie Brigitte revelations. Jean-Louis Bruguiere has written in his book that the situation in Pakistan is among the most worrisome. He is said to have written that the Pakistan Governmnet has lost control of rogue military and intelligence officers, who are now aiding the militants. He even gone further to write that it might be too late to sanitise the Army. Willie Brigitte got 4 months taining at a Lashkar-e-Taiba camp. The book reveales that CIA officers were hoodwinked by Pakistani Army officers as they inspected militant training camps jointly run by Al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Most of the commanders of LeT were earlier in the Army, these inspections were doomed to draw a blank. The foreign recruits were alerted on the eve of the arrival of the inspecting teams by their instructors... The trainees then had to erase any traces of their presence and head to an altitude of more than 13,500 feet while the inspection lasted," Bruguiere disclosed in his book 'What I Could Not Say'. Thousands of Afghans and Pakistanis were being trained in these camps. The Pakistani security forces supplied arms and instructors to the camps. Military handlers then sent the trainees on terrorist missions. The same module may have worked for the attack on Mumbai last year. For Indian Government this revelation is not new. Indian intelligence, surveillence and reconnaisance (ISR) has time and again given inputs that these terrorists camps are run on borders along India, After Mumbai attack, Indian Government many times asked Pakistan to dismantle these camps. But all gone in vain as Pakistan does not want to listen. Probably the ears of Pakistan Government are been plugged by these rogue Army officers. But what Pakistan is waiting for... a nuclear explosion in Pakistan by Taliban to fall cry on deaf ears.

Also Read: Inside Story of Pathankot Air Force Station Attack