The Pakistan Army Chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, does not support President Asif Ali Zardari’s plan to adopt a “no-first-use” nuclear weapon policy, reveals a secret US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.
Although the cable from US ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson said Gen. Kayani has “remained silent on the subject”, the Pakistan Army Chief “does not support President Zardari’s statement last year to the Indian press that Pakistan would adopt a ‘no-first-use’ policy on nuclear weapons”. Despite increasing financial constraints “we believe that the military is proceeding with an expansion of both its growing strategic weapons and missile programmes,” it added. “We should recognise Pakistani casualties in the fight against militants, praise General Kayani’s support for the democratic government in Islamabad, reiterate US commitment to support Pakistan, and thank him for agreeing to send his intelligence chief and director of military operations to the Holbrooke/Riedel US-Pakistan strategic review meeting. We should also thank Kayani for the GOP’s (government of Pakistan’s) effort to ensure that US/Nato continues to deliver fuel and dry goods through Pakistan for our forces in Afghanistan,” it said.