Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XIX, South Asia

353. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Pakistan¹

Washington, July 28, 1979, 1558Z

196363. Subject: Comments by the Pakistan Ambassador on the Chiefs of Mission Conference in Islamabad.

1. (S–Entire text)

2. Pakistan Ambassador Sultan Khan, at lunch with Assistant Secretary Saunders and Deputies Constable and Coon, on July 27, provided a readout on the Chiefs of Mission conference in Islamabad. Khan reported that 32 Pakistan Ambassadors had participated. President Zia himself was present during most of the four days of talks. The major focus was on Pakistan’s relations with the U.S., India, USSR and Afghanistan.

3. The US and the nuclear problem: There was a consensus that relations with the US were important to Pakistan, and that the nuclear issue should not get in the way of our overall relations. He noted that Agha Shahi would probably take up our offer of bilateral talks, perhaps in September in an effort to keep communications open. Khan affirmed that the 32 Ambassadors had been assured that Pakistan did not intend to test a nuclear device. Choosing his words very carefully, Khan implied that Pakistan wanted the capability, i.e., sufficient enriched uranium, to exercise a nuclear option but would stop short of doing so. He advanced the theory that Pakistan had nothing to gain by testing a device since this would only provoke Indian weaponization and that Pakistan could not hope to keep up with India. He also alluded to the substantial costs in Pak relations with the West of a nuclear explosion. This view, he said, was held by many of his colleagues and was not contradicted by the GOP policy makers present. Khan noted that most Pakistanis believe that a nuclear weapons program is underway and heartily approve. Indeed, the villagers in the vicinity of Kahuta refer to the plant as the “atom bomb factory.” According to Khan, President Zia will shortly be making a nation-wide television speech stressing the peaceful nature of Pakistan’s nuclear program and trying to dampen down public expectations. Khan agreed that we should continue our dialogue and hoped that inflexible positions would not get in the way. Khan also inquired about President Zia’s talk with Constable in June² and whether we would be responding. Constable described Zia’s oral assurance to him concerning Pakistan’s commitment not to test a device and said Ambassador Hummel will be pursuing this with Zia in Islamabad.

4. Indo-Pakistan relations: In response to a question, Khan affirmed that Indo-Pakistan relations were quite good. The Shahnawaz visit to Delhi had broken new ground in that the Foreign Secretaries for the first time had gone beyond the discussion of bilateral relations to more wide-ranging discussion including such things as their relations with China, Afghanistan, and the Soviet Union.³ He noted with appreciation the stand Desai had taken in Moscow on Pak-Afghan problems.⁴ As to the future, while Desai is viewed as the architect of India’s good neighbor policy, Sultan felt that in a subsequent government the MEA bureaucracy would have an important role and that bureaucrats like Jaghat Mehta were strong supporters of that policy.

Vance

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P850040–2017. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Sent for information Immediate to New Delhi. Drafted by Coon; approved by Constable.
2. In telegram 6585 from Islamabad, June 11, Constable reported his June 9 conversation with Zia on the occasion of Constable’s reassignment from Chargé d’Affaires to Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs. During the conversation, Zia “stated that Pakistan does not have capability for ‛peaceful nuclear explosion;’ that Pakistan’s definition of peaceful purposes excludes PNE; and that he is willing to put this in writing.” (Department of State, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, David D. Newsom Subject Files, Lot 81D154, Box 15, Pakistan, January–July 1979)
3. Shahnawaz visited New Delhi May 28–June 1. Telegram 9756 from New Delhi, June 5, reported on his talks with the Indian officials. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790257–0715)
4. Desai visited Moscow June 10–14. According to an Indian diplomat: “During discussion of Afghanistan, Desai stressed Indian opposition to any type of outside interference, while Brezhnev hit hard at Pakistani interference.” (Telegram 15928 from Moscow, June 21; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790326–0213)