These WMDs Are For Real

In continuation of my earlier article of January 27, 2004, on NuclearJihad, I am giving below, for ready reference, extracts from my past writings on the subject. What hasbeen stated below is more authentic and reliable than the reports about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD)holdings on the basis of which Iraq was invaded by the coalition troops led by the US and the Saddam Husseinregime deposed on the ground that it posed a threat to international peace and security:

Pages 49-50 of my book of 2001 Intelligence: Past, Present & Future published by LancerPublishers And Distributors (56 Gautam Nagar, New Delhi--110049):

Joint Intelligence Miscellaneous (JIM)

Responsible for covert actions in other parts of the world and for the clandestine procurement of nuclearand missile technologies. Maj Gen (retd) Sultan Habib, an operative of this Division, who had distinguishedhimself in the clandestine procurement and theft of nuclear material while posted as the Defence Attache inthe Pakistani Embassy in Moscow from 1991 to 93, with concurrent accreditation to the Central Asian Republics(CARs), Poland and Czechoslovakia, has recently been posted as Ambassador to North Korea to oversee theclandestine nuclear and missile co-operation between North Korea and Pakistan.

After completing his tenure in Moscow, he had co-ordinated the clandestine shipping of missiles from NorthKorea, the training of Pakistani experts in the missile production and testing facilities of North Korea andthe training of North Korean scientists in the nuclear establishments of Pakistan through Capt. (retd)Shafquat Cheema, Third Secretary and acting head of mission, in the Pakistani Embassy in North Korea, from1992 to 96. Before Maj.Gen. Sultan Habib's transfer to ISI headquarters from Moscow, the North Korean missileand nuclear co-operation project was handled by Maj.Gen.Shujjat from the Baluch Regiment, who worked in theclandestine procurement division of the ISI for five years.

On Capt.Cheema's return to headquarters in 1996, the ISI discovered that in addition to acting as theliaison officer of the ISI with the nuclear and missile establishments in North Korea, he was also earningmoney from the Iranian and the Iraqi intelligence by helping them in their clandestine nuclear and missiletechnology and material procurement not only from North Korea, but also from Russia and the CARs. On coming toknow of the ISI enquiry into his clandestine assistance to Iran and Iraq, he fled to Xinjiang and soughtpolitical asylum there, but the Chinese arrested him and handed him over to the ISI. What happened to himsubsequently is not known. Capt.Cheema initially got into the ISI and got himself posted to the PakistaniEmbassy in North Korea with the help of Col.(retd) Ghulam Sarwar Cheema of the PPP.Unquote

Pages 137-138 of the same book as mentioned above

The Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) of Pakistan is based structurally on the continentalEuropean model, with most of its officers from the Armed Forces, but, operationally, it has been using theChinese technique of adopting the commercial cover for its overseas operations, in addition to the diplomaticcover. It has floated a large number of commercial firms abroad, either through its own retired officers, orthrough non-resident Pakistanis (NRPs) and home-based Pakistani businessmen enjoying its confidence.

This technique played a significant role in its successful clandestine acquisition of nuclear and missiletechnology and equipment from the USA, Canada, West Europe and North Korea. Amongst the companies and banks,which had allegedly been associated with its clandestine overseas procurement, were the Bank of Credit andCommerce International (BCCI), founded by Mr.Agha Hasan Abedi, which collapsed in 1991, and the Gulf ShippingGroup, based in Geneva, founded by Mr.Abbas Gokal and his brother, which also collapsed the same year.Mr.Abbas Gokal was jailed by a British court in April 1997, on a charge of cheating in connection with theBCCI collapse.

The ISI and Pakistan's Military Intelligence Directorate extensively used the BCCI for providing cover totheir officers and for funding clandestine procurement of nuclear and missile technologies and equipment. TheGulf Shipping Group was used for the transport of the secretly procured equipment. The Army Welfare Trust (AWT),which was started in the 1970s by the ISI, has become one of Pakistan's most active business groups. Amongstthe projects controlled by it are a housing and land development scheme, a sugar factory, a shoe factory, awoollen garments factory and a glass factory.

It also controlled the Aksari Commercial Bank and was planning to expand its business activities to cementand pharmaceuticals. It had also been permitted by the Government to go into joint venture partnerships withforeign companies and was planning joint ventures for the manufacture of helicopters and Land Rovers. Amongstother organisations controlled by the ISI are the Fauji Foundation, which has set up factories for themanufacture of fertilisers and chemicals and the Shaheen Foundation, which controlled the private ShaheenAirlines. It had also been permitted by the Government to start a satellite TV channel.

From my paper of May, 2002, Controlof Transnational Crime And War Against Terrorism: An Indian Perspective:

Though the laws of Pakistan do not provide for "economic citizenships", the Pakistan Governmentinformally provides them to international criminals and terrorists, who maintain a minimum dollar deposit inPakistani banks and help the Government.  Dawood Ibrahim, who had reportedly lent money to Pakistan inthe past for the clandestine procurement of missiles and connected technology from China and North Korea, hasbeen given informal "economic citizenship" in order to protect him from the arms of the Indian lawand provided with a Pakistani passport under a different name .

More can be read in my article of April 7, 2003, EyesWide Shut which was also published by the Indian Defence Review (January-March,2003) of the LancerPublishers And Distributors of New Delhi mentioned above)

B. Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, and, presently, Director,Institute for Topical Studies, Chennai, and Distinguished Fellow and Convenor, Advisory Committee, ObserverResearch Foundation, Chennai Chapter.