PAKISTAN’S NUCLEAR TESTS CONDEMNED

Aliran categorically denounces the recent spate of nuclear tests conducted by India and Pakistan, which could trigger a dangerous arms race.

The tests have come at a time when many people in the Third World are facing an economic crisis, food shortages and malnutrition, illiteracy, marauding diseases, and environmental destruction - all of which assault human dignity. The feverish scientific research into nuclear weapons is a great abuse of human ingenuity and has its roots in a warped sense of nationalistic pride and misplaced priorities.

We urge the two countries to immediately stop further nuclear tests and to work together in defusing mounting military tensions in the region. India and Pakistan should harness their seemingly boundless energy  to resolve their pressing social problems and alleviate the miserable plight of millions of impoverished people on the sub-continent.

We also call upon other nuclear powers, especially the United States, which have loudly condemned the recent nuclear tests in South Asia, to destroy their own arsenal of nuclear weapons. If they don’t, their hypocrisy will be obvious. Even without nuclear tests, the world would still be a dangerous place if all nuclear weapons are not destroyed.

The tragedy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should be a constant reminder of the horrendous misery that nuclear weapons can inflict on mankind as we strive to build a better future.

Dr Mustafa K Anuar
Asst Secretary
30 May 1998