Scholar Shirin Mazari Could Be Next Pak Defence Minister

Pakistan’s soon-to-be prime minister Imran Khan is learned considering prominent Islamabad-based scholar Shirin Mazari as the next defence minister of the country.

Mazari is the one who advocated nuclear strikes on Indian population centers during the Kargil was two decades ago between Pakistan and India in her book.

She wrote, “Targeting of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons should be primarily counter-value focusing on Indian urban and industrial centres.”

The term counter-value targets means targeting the enemy assets which are of value as per nuclear warfare doctrine. Usually counter-force word is used in reference to military targets.

In one of her articles in 1999 she wrote, “would be New Delhi, Bombay and all the nuclear installations that come within this range.”

She added further by saying that nuclear installations in India are close to population centres and this mean compounded damage could be achieved by attacking the facilities.

Both the countries exchanged list of nuclear facilities each year from January 27 in 1991 when an agreement came into force after being signed on 31 December 1988 mentioning not to attack each other’s nuclear facilities.

After the news of her consideration as a key minister in media a senior Indian diplomat said, “Lots of capitals across the world are going to be very worried about Mazari’s appointment.”

Imran Khan’s party PTI emerged as the single largest party in Pakistan following late last month’s general elections. Rivals have claimed Khan received clandestine aid from the military.