If a complete war broke out between India and Pakistan, then there may be a threat of nuclear war in front of the world. Unlike India, Pakistan has been threatening the use of nuclear weapons. After the Pahalgam attack, Pakistani ministers also threatened nuclear war several times, due to which the whole world including America is in concern. India has announced a policy of not using nuclear weapons before the beginning, but this is not the case about Pakistan. Everyone knows about Pakistan that in the name of democracy here, the real Raj is of the army. The army does not have any crisis in the name of responsibility in front of the public. At the same time, the world feels that if the Islamic extremists control the Pakistani government or the army, then the strength of the atomic bomb will be in their hands. Significantly, in 2012, four Pakistani military officials, including Brigadier Ali Khan, have also been sentenced on charges of contact with terrorist organizations.
It is believed that due to all these apprehensions, America has made an alleged secret strategy called ‘Snatch and Grab’. The purpose of which is to seize or secure Pakistan’s nuclear weapons in an emergency. So that these weapons do not fall into the hands of terrorist organizations, irresponsible elements, or hostile forces. The scheme is inspired by the threat of global concerns about Pakistan’s nuclear security, especially ‘Loose Nukes’.
Global concern over Pakistan’s atomic bomb
According to an estimate, Pakistan has 170 nuclear weapons, deployed at various missiles (eg Nasar, Gauri, Shaheen, Ghaznavi) and military locations. These weapons are secretly placed in tunnels, mountains, and military bases. Countries around the world, especially America, Israel and Europe feel that these bombs can go to the hands of terrorist organizations (such as Lashkar-e-Taiba) due to Pakistan’s economic and political instability. It is obvious that the atomic bomb in the hands of terrorist organizations means to feast the danger on human civilization. In particular, after the 9/11 attack, the US has considered Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal a threat to its security.
After the Pahalgam attack, Pakistani Defense Minister Khwaja Asif and Railway Minister Hanif Abbasi threatened the use of nuclear weapons against India, which makes the scheme more relevant. The main objective of the ‘Snatch and Grab’ scheme is to ensure that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons do not fall into the wrong hands. The scheme is also to protect the interests of the US and its allies (such as Israel and India).
Mention and origin of the plan
In 2011, US news channel NBC News claimed in a report that the US had prepared a casual plan to seize Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. This scheme has been the priority of America since the 9/11 attack. The US operation, which killed Usama bin Laden in Abotabad on 2 May 2011, raised concerns about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. It is said that the then Pakistani Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani called Lieutenant General Khalid Kidwai in charge of nuclear security and feared that the US could try to grab nuclear weapons. The US President’s former Counter-Terrorism Deputy Director Roger Krace told NBC News that the US government has already prepared a plan for the worst situation of nuclear weapons.
The US would implement this scheme on Pakistan’s internal chaos such as civil war, military coup, or widespread instability in Pakistan. If terrorist organizations (such as Lashkar-e-Taiba) try to capture a nuclear weapon, by 2011, the terrorists targeted at least six sites associated with Pakistan’s nuclear program.
How America will implement this scheme if needed
There is no doubt that the US monitors Pakistan’s nuclear bases through satellite imagery, human intelligence, and signal intelligence. If the 2023 report of the ‘Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ is perfect, Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are on the locations like Akro, Khujdar, and Pano Akil. American special forces, such as delta force or navy seals, will enter Pakistan at lightning speed and take over nuclear weapons. However, Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are scattered at many secret places, which makes the operation complicated. Pakistan considered the ‘Snatch and Grab’ scheme an attack on its sovereignty. Parvez Musharraf described it as the cause of war in 2011.
Challenges faced by nuclear weapons for America
Pakistan has created a Strategic Plans Division (SPD) to protect its nuclear weapons, which oversees arms management and security. Pakistan claims that its weapons are safe and adequate measures have been taken to save from any external intervention. Implementing the ‘Snatch and Grab’ scheme is extremely complex and risky. Pakistan has hidden its nuclear weapons in tunnels, mountains, and military bases. It is difficult to find out their exact location.
The Pakistani army considers its nuclear weapons a symbol of national pride. In 2011, former military ruler Pervez Musharraf warned that such action could cause war between the US and Pakistan. Apart from Musharraf, the Pakistani Army and the government also considered the scheme a threat to their sovereignty. The then Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had approached the nuclear security in -charge Lieutenant General Khalid Kidwai and reviewed the security measures.
Such an action will be a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, which may increase tension with countries like China and Russia. China, which is a major ally of Pakistan, can oppose such intervention. With this, if the operation is not successful or applied at the wrong time, it will be like starting a nuclear war.
America’s current concern
In recent years, the US had expressed concern over Pakistan’s missile program. In December 2024, Deputy National Security Advisor John Finner said that Pakistan’s long -range ballistic missiles could become a threat to the US. This is the reason that the US has imposed restrictions on companies associated with Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs, such as in September 2024, imposed such restrictions on four institutions.
The US has offered assistance to Pakistan to improve the nuclear security system, but Pakistan confessed to it limited. Although such claims are also made on social media that the US has captured the Pakistani atomic bases in Quetta, but these claims are uncomfortable and so far there is no official confirmation from both sides.