Hello All:
If saving the world from a nuclear holocasut is important to you then is something that might interest you. We are aware from news reports that the people of India and Pakistan are not apprehensive about the breakout of a nuclear war. But as this story says, it was the same then General Musharraf, who openly advocated the use of nuclear weapons during Kargil and he was overruled by democratically elected Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. It is that Musharraf who now holds complete sway of power in Pakistan. So here goes.
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Dear friend of MoveOn,
The conflict between India and Pakistan over the disputed
territory of Kashmir is edging ever closer to a nuclear war. A
nuclear exchange between these rival nations could kill 12
million people and spread radioactive fallout around the globe.
Please join us in calling on President Musharraf of Pakistan and
Prime Minister Vajpayee of India to step back from the brink of
holocaust.
Sign a message from concerned citizens of the world to these two
leaders at:
moveon.org
Both leaders are currently banging the drums of war. Recently,
Pakistan tested its third missile in as many days, emphasizing
its ability to deliver nukes to the Indian capital city New
Delhi in under three minutes. Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee
told the 700,000 troops stationed along the border of Pakistan
that he was preparing for "a decisive victory."
While India has stated that it will only use its nukes in
the case of a nuclear attack, Pakistan has made clear that it
will strike first if threatened. And there's reason to believe
that it will follow through on this policy: in 1999, such an
attack was narrowly averted, over the protest of then-General
Musharraf.
More worrying still, India and Pakistan have broken many of their
diplomatic ties. Unlike the US and the USSR during the Cold War,
India and Pakistan have no direct line of communication connecting
their leaders. The possibility exists that nukes could be
launched as a result of a mistake, since there's no easy way for
the leadership of one nation to verify the intentions of its
rival. With millions of lives in the balance and weapons on
hair-trigger alert, the lack of communication between the two
countries is extremely dangerous.
If India and Pakistan were to go to war, the effects would be
felt around the world. The trade winds above the two countries
are ideally situated to spread nuclear fallout. Essentially
highly radioactive dust, fallout can cause leukemia and many
other kinds of cancer, as well as radiation poisoning.
Assuming either nation survived such an attack, it's unlikely
that the conflict would even be resolved. Instead of pushing
their countries toward Armageddon, Mr. Vajpayee and Mr. Musharraf
must re-establish strong diplomatic ties, disavow the use of
nuclear weapons under any circumstances, and work toward a
comprehensive agreement on the future of Kashmir.
Please let them know that you're deeply concerned about the
escalating conflict today:
moveon.org
The lives of millions could be at stake.
Sincerely,
--Wes Boyd
MoveOn.org
Thursday, June 6, 2002 |
