Pakistan’s Nuclear Deterrence and Diplomatic Endeavors: An Analysis of Security Imperatives and Geopolitical Realities

The notable book, “The Security Imperative: Pakistan’s Nuclear Deterrence and Diplomacy” is written by Zamir Akram, a former Ambassador of Pakistan and current adviser to the Strategic Plans Division (SPD). According to the author, the book has been written with the intention of presenting the world with the true picture of Pakistan’s nuclear programme and addressing the gap in the literature on the subject of nuclear diplomacy.

A graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, Ambassador Zamir Akram joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in July 1978. Zamir Akram has held the position of Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva since October 2008. Throughout his career, he held various diplomatic assignments in Pakistan’s Missions abroad.

Ambassador Akram gives a thorough overview of Pakistan’s security issues, nuclear aspirations, and diplomatic engagements by drawing on his vast experience and insights gathered over nearly four decades in the Foreign Services. The book relies heavily on declassified official documents, interviews with important figures, secondary and empirical data, and the author’s 38 years of experience working for Pakistan’s Foreign Services.

There are many different topics covered in the book. Firstly, the author discusses Pakistan’s security concerns, both internal and external, with a focus on Islamabad’s susceptibility to New Delhi’s claims of superiority in conventional warfare. Secondly, the work discusses Pakistan’s nuclear diplomacy in the face of international discrimination and structural limitations, as well as the country’s acquisition of nuclear technology for both military and civilian uses. Thirdly, the book discusses South Asia’s strategic stability as well as the developing nuclear policies of India and Pakistan. The author concludes by talking about the threats Pakistan faces in the future.

The book deftly handles many facets of Pakistan’s security environment, illuminating nuclear doctrine, external and internal threats, and South Asia’s strategic stability. In addition to highlighting the geographical and historical background that shapes Pakistan’s security imperatives, Ambassador Akram’s story highlights Pakistan’s unwavering pursuit of a credible deterrent in the face of regional and global dynamics.

Being a nuclear negotiator and a diplomat, Amb Akram has made an effort to fill the void in academic literature. As a longstanding ambassador and permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament (CD) as well as other international organisations in Geneva, the author provides an eyewitness account of the occasions that shaped Pakistan’s nuclear history. By fusing his insights with smart assessments of regional and international affairs he makes a strong case that Pakistan’s difficult security situation has motivated its efforts to establish and preserve a credible deterrent.

A key topic of discussion in the book is Pakistan’s internal political strife, lack of a cohesive political position on different issues, and how they affected the country’s strategic program in the 1990s. The author emphasises how Pakistan faced nuclear discrimination in comparison to India. The US policy of De-Hyphenation, drove Pakistan to pursue the Policy of Defiance, which was intended to confront the growing Indo-US strategic relationship head-on.

Amb Akram clarifies Pakistan’s first policy reactions to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), stating that the nation was prepared to ratify the agreement if security assurances were given against what it referred to as the “sixth nuclear power problem”. In 2023, the nuclear powers were once more urged by the State Parties to the NPT to provide legally enforceable guarantees of negative security and persistent refusal to do so could further tarnish the regime and the Treaty.

Furthermore, Pakistan’s positions on the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Fissile Material (Cut-off) Treaty (FMCT) are significantly supported by the wider lens that Amb Akram uses to map the country’s perceptions of threat levels. They are, as the book appropriately contends, based on Pakistan’s security imperative, which also serves as the driving force behind the nation’s nuclear advancements.

The book has substantially closed the gap in the field of nuclear diplomacy between India and Pakistan. In contrast to other reports on Pakistan’s nuclear program, the book is noticeably more thorough and in-depth. It portrays the true picture of Pakistan’s nuclear programme and addresses every facet of it in the domains of strategy, diplomacy, politics, and the economy. This book offers an alternative history to Western narratives about Pakistan’s nuclear programme and foreign misinformation. The work of Ambassador Akram is more in-depth and covers every aspect of the nuclear program, in contrast to the books of Abdul Sattar (Pakistan’s Foreign Policy 1947-2019), and Dr Naeem Salik (Learning to Live with the Bomb: Pakistan 1998-2016).

However, the book also has certain intrinsic weaknesses. The author does not go into great detail about India’s nuclear programme. It mostly ignores the bureaucratic and security aspects of Smiling Buddha, concentrating only on the status-driven side of it. In addition, there is an absence of a comprehensive framework for addressing future security challenges, despite the thorough examination of Pakistan’s nuclear programme. Furthermore, the book lacks in-depth critical analyses on Pakistan’s security concerns, including threats to strategic stability, terrorism, relations with Afghanistan and India, and Pakistan’s historical and geographic constraints.

The book plays a crucial role in expanding our comprehension of Pakistan’s diplomatic maneuvers, strategic decisions, and the intricate interactions between security dynamics in the area. Hence, “The Security Imperative” becomes a vital tool for anybody attempting to understand the intricacies of Pakistan’s nuclear history and how they relate to regional and international security.

As the author states that Pakistan’s need for security stems from the nation’s geography, history, and the “legacy of disputes and hostility with India since independence”. Readers can better appreciate how difficult Pakistan’s ongoing security challenge has been by learning about its security sensibilities and predicaments through the lenses of history and geography.

In conclusion, the book is a fascinating read because it captures the essence of Pakistan’s nuclear story, which is the establishment and maintenance of deterrence through bold and skillful diplomacy. As a result, anyone interested in working on Pakistan and pursuing a career in nuclear studies should read this book. The book will also be helpful to individuals who wish to explore novel theoretical aspects of nuclear proliferation. Furthermore, the insightful account provided by the author of Pakistan’s continuous maintenance of its highly valued nuclear deterrence may encourage academics to consider the challenges that come with nuclear reversal.