Pakistan is better equipped to put nuclear warheads on missiles and launch them than India, an American expert on south Asia, who recently wrote a book on India's nuclear bomb, says. "Pakistan today has a better capacity to put nuclear warheads and launch them," George Perkovich, says in an interview to be published in the upcoming edition of "American" magazine.
"Pakistan has two competing missile programmes which wasn't known until recently. The AQ Khan labs have the Ghauri missile assisted by North Korea. The Pakistan atomic energy organisation has missiles too assisted by China. "They're racing against each other for money and prestige, for the title of great providers of Pakistan's strategic might," he says.
He brands the nuclear scientists in Pakistan, especially Abdul Qadir Khan, are out of control but in India, they are "much more sober". He describes Khan, whom Pakistan calls the father of its bomb, a "mad scientist" who makes "outrageous statements."
"He is doing business with North Korea, procuring missiles. He's a bad dude. One of the key questions for Pervez Musharraf is whether he can rein this guy in," Perkovich says. In India, he says, "you've got much more sober scientists but the government is struggling to figure out how put limits on these guys. They're national heroes."
"Pakistan has two competing missile programmes which wasn't known until recently. The AQ Khan labs have the Ghauri missile assisted by North Korea. The Pakistan atomic energy organisation has missiles too assisted by China. "They're racing against each other for money and prestige, for the title of great providers of Pakistan's strategic might," he says.
He brands the nuclear scientists in Pakistan, especially Abdul Qadir Khan, are out of control but in India, they are "much more sober". He describes Khan, whom Pakistan calls the father of its bomb, a "mad scientist" who makes "outrageous statements."
"He is doing business with North Korea, procuring missiles. He's a bad dude. One of the key questions for Pervez Musharraf is whether he can rein this guy in," Perkovich says. In India, he says, "you've got much more sober scientists but the government is struggling to figure out how put limits on these guys. They're national heroes."
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