"Scrap Nukes, Reduce Army": A Brave Suggestion from a Former Chief of Pakistan Air Force

Scrap nukes, reduce army: Asghar
Daily Times, July 4, 2007

ABBOTTABAD: Air Marshal (r) Asghar Khan said on Tuesday Pakistan should scrap its nuclear weapons and reduce its army strength to achieve domestic progress and peace with its neighbours.

“We should not be jubilant at calling ourselves an atomic power because it is a big threat to Pakistan’s existence and there is no need to keep a huge army because it’s just a waste of money,” Khan said at a two-day conference arranged by non-government organisation the Sungi Development Foundation. Khan claimed that Pakistan had initiated five wars with India without provocation from the other side. “Our rulers and generals have always threatened us by saying that not having a big army will encourage India to attack Pakistan, but it is just rhetoric,” he said. Khan said that he was the air force chief in 1965 but was kept in the dark about the war. “On September 3, I met President Ayub Khan and expressed fear about the war, but he told me that there was no danger of it,” he said, adding that Pakistan had also initiated the Kargil “misadventure”.

Economist Dr Kaiser Bengali told the audience that skewed government policies had increased inflation. staff report