 "US, Russia were concerned about Pak's nuclear weapons: Declassified files")
Former US President George W Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin were concerned about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, according to newly released documents from the US-based National Security Archive.
The documents, made public following a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, contain verbatim records of meetings and phone conversations between the two leaders between 2001 and 2008.
In one such document from 2001, both leaders agreed that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal was a serious concern. Putin described Pakistan as being under military rule and lacking democratic governance. “I am concerned about Pakistan. It is just a junta with nuclear weapons. It is no democracy, yet the West does not criticise it. We should talk about it,” Putin said.
‘Don’t need religious nuts with nuclear weapons’: Bush
In another document, both leaders described Pakistan’s nuclear situation as making them “nervous.” They expressed fears that nuclear technology from Pakistan may have been secretly transferred to countries such as Iran and North Korea.
Putin told Bush that uranium of Pakistani origin had been found in Iranian centrifuges, pointing to possible illegal transfers. “They found uranium of Pakistani origin in the centrifuges. It was of Pakistani origin. That makes me nervous,” Putin said.
Bush acknowledged the issue, replying, “Yes, the stuff the Iranians forgot to tell the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about. That’s a violation. It makes us nervous, too.”
Bush also said he had raised these concerns with Pakistan’s then-President Pervez Musharraf. While Pakistan had jailed nuclear scientist AQ Khan, the US believed it was still not receiving complete information from Pakistani authorities. “We don’t need a lot of religious nuts with nuclear weapons,” Bush added.
‘China could be a big problem’
During the same discussion, Bush said, “The threat is not a United States–Russia clash.” He added that Russia belonged to the West and was not an enemy. “In 50 years, China could become a big problem. Russia’s interests lie with the West. You should be like the West—rule of law, entrepreneurship, freedom of the press. You have made some good choices, like the flat tax law, and I hope you keep it up,” Bush said.
Putin, who at the time had a strong working relationship with Bush, responded, “I never considered you a threat, even during the Cold War. I agree, and I wrote down what you said about China and 50 years. We are watching carefully.”