Pakistan UN Mission Organizes Launch Of Ambassador Zamir Akram’s Book

UITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Oct, 2023) Pakistan's Mission to the United Nations hosted the launch of the book titled “The Security Imperative – Pakistan’s Nuclear Deterrence and Diplomacy” authored by Zamir Akram, an eminent former Pakistani ambassador.

The ceremony, held at Pakistan House, was attended by diplomats, representatives of think tanks, scholars and members of the media,

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Zamir Akram said that Pakistan's nuclear program has been largely seen from a Western perspective. He was motivated to write the book to tell "the Pakistani story" of the development of nuclear deterrence and to debunk the propaganda and put the facts in perspective.

Soon after the establishment of Pakistan, Ambassador Akram said, the country was confronted with serious security challenges and the multiplicity of internal and external security concerns shaped the behaviour of the Pakistani policymakers. Pakistan’s founding father Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had assigned high priority to the development of nuclear science in the country.

Ambassador Zamir Akram said that Pakistan's nuclear programme had always enjoyed national consensus and represented the will of the nation. Whichever political party was in power, the programme continued to be developed, for it was a matter of national security.

Pakistan, he said, maintained minimum credible nuclear deterrence in order to offset India's advantage in conventional weapons.

When Pakistan detonated nuclear weapons in May 1998 in response to India's tests, he said that instead of asking India the hard questions for endangering peace in South Asia, the United States pressurized Pakistan not to go nuclear, an unacceptable proposition for the civil and military leaders as well as the people of Pakistan.

Ambassador Akram said that nuclear weapons were meant to prevent war and they have proven their efficacy over the last two and a half decades.

An interactive session with the audience followed. The conversation covered not only the historical aspects and diverse dimensions of Pakistan's strategic nuclear programme but also delved into the current regional and global security challenges.

In his closing remarks, Ambassador Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, said that Zamir Akram’s book narrated Pakistan’s story “convincingly, fully and effectively.” He said that putting together a nuclear programme was a Herculean challenge, adding that those involved worked unitedly to make Pakistan’s defence impregnable with the acquisition of nuclear capability.

Ambassador Munir Akram said that in terms of sophistication, Pakistan’s nuclear programme was more refined than that of India. Pakistan’s command and control structure, he added, was par excellence, as testified by IAEA.

While the security landscape was undergoing changes, he said that Pakistan was fully capable of thwarting any act of aggression.