India and Israel almost destroyed Pakistan's nuclear programme until..., Netanyahu was...
(Representational image: freepik)
New Delhi: A few days back, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that the Congress made a 'historic blunder' in the 1980s by allowing Pakistan to become a nuclear power as he claimed that intelligence from R&AW had confirmed uranium enrichment activity at Pakistan's Kahuta facility and Israel had offered operational support, including intel and joint strike planning.
The then Prime minister Indira Gandhi initially approved the aerial attack on Pakistan's nuclear plants but called off the operation fearing global repercussions. Later, Rajiv Gandhi abandoned the plan in favour of diplomacy under foreign pressure. Pakistan's Kahuta facility
During the late 1970s, Pakistan was rapidly advancing its uranium enrichment programme at Kahuta, near Rawalpindi under then-military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq. Pakistan decided to start its nuclear programme after the humiliating defeat to India in the 1971 war under the then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
They selected Kahuta for establishing their nuclear weapons plant and for uranium enrichment centrifuges. The key part was played by A.Q. Khan. India's intelligence agency R&AW confirmed Kahuta's role in producing weapons-grade uranium. It was during the early 1980s, The joint Israel-India operation
Israel also learned about Pakistan's nuclear ambition and presented to India a proposal to carry out a joint airstrike to destroy the Kahuta nuclear facility. For this, Israel would fly its F-15 and F-16 fighter jets into Indian airspace and use Indian air bases in Jamnagar, Gujarat and Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir for the assault. Indian Air Force's Jaguar deep-strike jets would support the mission. Why did Israel make this offer?
Israel's offer to destroy Pakistan's Kahuta nuclear facility came in the wake of its fear of a nuclear weapon falling into the hands of its enemy countries like Libya or Iran who had close ties with Pakistan. Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin even wrote to UK PM Margaret Thatcher in 1979 warning of the threat. Why was the operation aborted?
According to reports, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was inclined to accept the Israeli proposal but the mission was ultimately called off due to domestic and geopolitical reasons, especially the Khalistani movement in Punjab under Bhindranwale.
One more factor that played a big role was threat of Pakistan's retaliation which could have led to a direct war. What happened in May 1998?
Pakistan became a nuclear power in May 1998 when it conducted five nuclear tests in the Chagai Hills of Balochistan Province. Benjamin Netanyahu was the Israeli Prime Minister at that time. Pakistan had been working on its nuclear agenda under Project-706, the codename of a research and development programme to develop Pakistan's nuclear weapons.
Project-706 was started by Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1974 after India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, conducted its first nuclear tests in May 1974.
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