Thursday, August 21, 2008

Pakistan's Nuclear Threat; India's Oldest Dies


Nukes unlikely to be affected by Musharraf leaving
Matthew Pennington (AP)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pervez Musharraf's departure from the presidency is unlikely to have a significant impact on how Pakistan's nuclear weapons are controlled.

Experts say a 10-member committee, and not just the president, makes decisions on how to use them and only a complete meltdown in governance — still a distant prospect in Pakistan — could put the atomic bomb in the hands of extremists.

Pakistan test at least five nuclear devices near Chagai in 1998 (CNN)

"Pakistan's nuclear assets are not one man's property," said Maria Sultan, a defense analyst and director at the London-based South Asian Strategic Stability Institute.

"Any (political) transition in Pakistan will have no effect on Pakistan's nuclear assets because it has a very strong custodial control." More>>

Meanwhile, in other Islamic news...

At 139 years old, India's Oldest Man Dies
Jaipur, India (Reuters)

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