According to some reports, Pakistan wanted to stop Pakistan’s 1980s development of its own nukes
An article in Switzerland claims that Mossad could have orchestrated bombings against German and Swiss firms during the 1980s. Israel was reportedly determined to keep Pakistan away from nuclear weapons.
The bombshell report was published by Switzerland’s Neue Zürcher Zeitung on Sunday. According to the paper, Mossad is responsible for three terrorist attacks on Germany and Switzerland in 1981. These bombings targeted properties belonging to individuals and companies involved in selling dual-purpose material to Pakistan. Following the blasts which destroyed buildings and left a pet dog behind, Mossad made phone calls to several companies that were involved in Pakistani business transactions. These callers warned them they would be next to fall if they didn’t abandon their nuclear-related business relationships with Islamabad.
At the time, an obscure group named the ‘Organization for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in South Asia’ claimed responsibility for the attacks. The organization was not known before the attack and has never been seen again.
The Swiss newspaper, citing recently unclassified State Department documents, claims that the US was unhappy about Pakistan’s attempts to develop its own nukes, but Washington did not wish to alienate the government in Islamabad. American diplomats tried first to persuade authorities in Bonn, Bern and Geneva to stop dual-purpose material sales to Pakistan. However, these efforts were unsuccessful as stated in the paper. One year later, an array of attacks was launched against those involved.
Israel, who, according to the report saw the threat of a Muslim country obtaining nukes in a terrorist state as an existential danger, took more determined action to avoid this. The paper admits, however, that there is no “smoking gun” to point the finger at Israel beyond a reasonable doubt. According to the report, however, some circumstantial evidence may support Mossad’s claims.
According to the report, one of the victims of the terrorist attacks had told Swiss police about how the Israeli secret services had reached him. The investigators were also told that the Israeli secret service had called Mr. David multiple times. He even saw him one time in person in an attempt to persuade him to quit business dealings with Pakistan.
Historian Adrian Hänni also told Neue Zürcher Zeitung that the bombings bore all the hallmarks of a secret service operation, and were strikingly similar to the attacks that had happened two years prior, which targeted people allegedly involved in Iraq’s nuclear program.
According to the report, most German and Swiss firms that were selling dual-use material to Pakistan continued their lucrative business in spite of threats and attacks. The Swiss newspaper also claims that several years later, Abdul Qadeer Khan, known as the father of Pakistan’s nuclear program, went on to help Iranians get hold of uranium enrichment centrifuges.
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