Crossfire War – Iran – Pakistan Discuss Military Cooperation Against India

Crossfire War – Tehran – Beijing – Islamabad Watch – South – Southeast Asia Theatre: Tehran – Beijing – Riyadh – Kabul – Tashkent – Katmandu – Dhaka – Islamabad/Srinagar – Arunachal Pradesh – Delhi – Washington – Canberra – Tokyo – Singapore; Iran – Pakistan Hold Strategy Discussions – Planning Targeting India – Pakistan FM Kasuri Briefed in Detail on Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program – Iran – Pakistan Nuclear Programs Linked Since 1986 – US Asst. Sec. of State Boucher Again in Pakistan – Dry Season “Action Plan” Offensive

Night Watch: ISLAMABAD – In 1998, right after Pakistan set off nuclear test explosions in response to India, the Pakistan government in Islamabad was visited by Iran Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi who publicly praised what he called the “Islamic Bomb”. It was significant he did not call it Pakistan’s bomb because obviously the nuclear weapons program of both countries were and still are closely connected and with enormous support from Beijing.

China knows Iran and the Jihad has potential to damage three of Beijing’s rivals, the West-India-Russia and that is why Beijing either sent ballistic missile and nuclear technology directly or sent it through Pyongyang – North Korea. Iran revived its nuclear weapons program in 1986 and it has been reported Pakistan first developed nuclear weapons in 1987, thirteen years after India exploded its first nuclear bomb in 1974, ten years after China.

In effect a regional, unofficial, nuclear-missile arms race was underway which revolved around ancient rivalries that became active immediately after World War II setting the stage for the same governments to be major factors in World War III. This was not a staged, orchestrated, crisis as in the Cold War, but very real territorial disputes. [IRNA]

Islamabad came very close to using nuclear weapons in 1990 just a couple of months after the Islamic uprising began in Kashmir November 1989, but pressure from Washington ended the crisis and the U.S. cut off further F-16 sales to Pakistan even though Islamabad had paid for them. It was reported, a couple of years later, Pakistan may have been loading nuclear bombs onto the F-16s they did have.

I have always suspected one of the reasons the fourth war between Pakistan/India did not completely begin in 1990 was because Tehran was not yet ready to enter as heavily as Iran wanted. In 1990 Tehran could have committed some troops and aircraft but Iran was still recovering from the eight year war with Iraq that had just ended two years previously. Tehran knew if Pakistan received enough support in the field, including from China, then Pakistan would win and Islamic rulers would again be in economic control of most of the sub-continent once again and Beijing would be given a top priority in any economic decision concerning access to resources.

With today’s meeting between Iran Deputy Foreign Minister Mahdi Safari and Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri it is an indication as to how close the two governments military-industrial programs and their regional-international policies are. Both governments, for instance and their populations, are fully aware Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf is not head of state to rule the country politically. But rather he is an expert military tactican and strategist, a veteran of two of the three India/Pakistan wars, 1965 and 1971. Musharraf also planned the Kargil military probe in 1999, the action in Kashmir which caught Delhi by surprise and almost set off the fourth war then. A war Islamabad knew is no longer just between India/Pakistan due to the regional-international impact of the Islamic revolution 1979 Iran led by the Ayatollah Khomeini which established Tehran’s government and shifted the balance of power in South Asia in Islamabad’s direction.

Despite the numerous-countless political and religious disputes within Pakistan, all Pakistanis agree concerning India and they know the fourth war, though having begun in 1989, is about to become (f)allout and regional. Last November crossfirewar.com reported the statement by Beijing’s Ambassador to Delhi, who stated northeast India-Arunchal Pradesh is Chinese territory.

In December China held ground forces maneuvers with Pakistan just west of Kashmir. China attacked India in October 1962 mostly in the northeast though there was also fighting in Kashmir, part of which is still oocupied by China. Also in December last year Saudi Arabia had maneuvers with Pakistan in the Eastern Punjab and the two countries also had maneuvers in December 2004. During the mid-1980s the House of Saud purchased from Beijing 50-60 intermediate range CSS-2 missiles. Each one has a range of 2,500 miles (4,000 km). And with the Islamic groups along the Bangladesh/India border that have supported terrorist attacks in India, like the two in Hyderabad this year, it is obvious India is surrounded by enemies.

Safari gave a detailed briefing to Kasuri concerning the latest preparations made by Tehran on its nuclear weapons program and I suspect even mentioned Tehran is now ready to fully support the offensive “Action Plan” Musharraf presented to Tehran in February. Fortunately not all bombs and missiles are going to work, no matter who manufactured them since manufacturing is far from perfect and is not about to be, especially mass production. Some of the nuclear bombs-warheads-missiles will miss and others will be duds, which is also true of conventional weaponry. Some of course will work.

In an expression of Washington’s continued concern over the lastest developments Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Richard Boucher is again in Islamabad. John Negroponte, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State is also due to visit the country this month. Four Allied nations (U.S.-Japan-Australia-Singapore) are right now having naval maneuvers with India in the Bay of Bengal. One of the reasons so much attention is being concentrated on this region this month is because the monsoon season has ended, which makes September the best month for war to begin in South-Southeast Asia. [IRNA]

Willard Payne is an international affairs analyst who specializes in International Relations. A graduate of Western Illinois University with a concentration in East-West Trade and East-West Industrial Cooperation, he has been providing incisive analysis to NewsBlaze. He is the author of Imagery: The Day Before.