Letter to the editor of International New York Times

Re “Nuclear fears in South Asia” (Editorial, April 7): You paint a picture of Pakistan as recklessly expanding its nuclear arsenal. But Pakistan was not the first to introduce nuclear weapons in South Asia. It was forced to develop a nuclear capability for self-defense due to its troubled history with India and that country’s accumulation of conventional and strategic capabilities. Nevertheless, Pakistan has consistently declared that its nuclear weapons are for deterrence, not war. Pakistan has no desire to engage in a conventional or nuclear arms race in South Asia.

Similarly, the editorial’s warnings about so-called internal turmoil in Pakistan are off the mark. Pakistan continues to deal effectively with the menace of terrorism. On the economy, only a glance at the International Monetary Fund’s latest review shows that the country is in far better shape than you assert. Time and again Pakistanis have proved their resilience and determination in difficult periods. Recycling theories about impending economic disaster or terrorists posing a serious threat to the state structure serves no purpose.

Nadeem Hotiana
Press Attache Embassy of Pakistan
Washington DC

April 29, 2015
Washington D.C