PAKISTAN’S NUCLEAR BOMB: A STORY OF DEFIANCE, DETERRENCE AND DEVIANCE

An important book on a sensitive subject: the opacity of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. This book provides a comprehensive account of the mysterious story of Pakistan’s attempt to develop nuclear weapons in the face of severe odds. Hassan Abbas profiles the politicians and scientists involved and the role of China and Saudi Arabia in supporting Pakistan’s nuclear infrastructure. Abbas also unravels the motivations behind the Pakistani nuclear physicist Dr. A. Q. Khan’s involvement in nuclear proliferation in Iran, Libya, and North Korea, drawing on extensive interviews. He argues that the origins and evolution of the Khan network were tied to the domestic and international political motivations underlying Pakistan’s nuclear weapons project, and that project’s organization, oversight, and management.