Militants can capture upto 150 Pakistan nuclear weapons, warns ex-US NSA John Bolton

Washington: – John Bolton, a former US National Security Adviser (NSA), warned that the Taliban would take over Pakistan following Afghanistan. This would land 150 Pakistani nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists. Bolton slammed President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying it could have dire consequences. While the former US NSA has expressed concerns, the US Congressional Research Service has released a detailed report which claims that about 12 foreign organizations are operational in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Maulana Abdul Aziz, a staunch supporter of the Taliban, had announced that radicals in Pakistan would soon take over the country. The success of the Taliban in Afghanistan was celebrated with great fanfare in Pakistan. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), believed to be a branch of the Taliban, is all set to bring its rule to Pakistan. Tehreek also threatened that the Pakistani media should not refer to him as a terrorist. At the same time, terrorist activities in Pakistan appear to have intensified since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan.

These changes are being noted internationally, with former US NSA, John Bolton, warning the world. ‘With US President Biden abruptly withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, it became effortless for Taliban to gain control of Afghanistan. Therefore, the Taliban’s next target will be Pakistan. Bolton said ‘Once Pakistan falls into the hands of the Taliban, about 150 of its nuclear weapons also will be under the control of the terrorists.’ Bolton issued this warning in an interview with a radio channel. Earlier, Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal was already said to be vulnerable to terrorists. Some have expressed concern that the Pakistani military, which has personnel with a terrorist ideology, could aid the falling of Pakistani nuclear weapons into the hands of terrorists. No matter how much Pakistan claims that its nuclear weapons are safe, it has been exposed many times that this claim cannot be believed.

Inspired by the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, TTP and other militant groups have begun preparing to bring the extremist rule to Pakistan. This is evident from the warning issued by Maulana Abdul Aziz. This has exacerbated the threat of Pakistani nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists.

While John Bolton is expressing concerns over Pakistan’s nuclear program, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the US Congress released a report highlighting the proliferation of terrorists in Pakistan. According to this, about 12 foreign terrorist organizations are operational in Pakistan. These include Al Qaeda and the Haqqani Network. Also included are Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and Huji carrying out terrorist activities in India. The report also says that IS-Khorasan, Jundullah, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and other militant groups are active in Pakistan. Meanwhile, India also raised the issue of security of Pakistani nuclear weapons at the UN Security Council. Indian Foreign Secretary Harshvardhan Sringala warned the international community to be more vigilant about nuclear weapons. However, he did not directly mention Pakistan.