CIA's declassified documents say Zia had assured Reagan that Pakistan would never make nuclear bomb

LAHORE: (Web Desk) – Pakistan’s former military dictator had told the president of United States Ronald Reagan on July 5, 1982 in a letter that Pakistan did not plan to make a nuclear bomb.

According to the recently declassified documents by US’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Zia had written a letter to Ronald Reagan assuring him that Pakistan would never make a nuclear bomb and told him that Pakistan’s nuclear program was for peaceful purposes only.

Zia had written the letter to Reagan in response to US President’s letter delivered to Zia by the US ambassador to Pakistan Vernon Walter. Reagan had expressed concern over the information he had been receiving regarding Pakistan’s nuclear program.

Zia wrote to Reagan that he was extremely hurt when Vernon told him about verified reports with the US intelligence that Pakistan was seeking nuclear arms and that could damage Pakistan’s relationship with the US.

He said that all such information was incorrect and Pakistan was neither seeking the design of the bomb nor did it pass on any such information to anyone. Zia went on to vow that Pakistan would never take a step that caused embarrassment for the US.

President Zia then reminded Reagan that his predecessor Jimmy Carter had also raised similar concerns and he had assured him as well that Pakistan didn’t plan on making nuclear bombs.

“I had written to him (Carter) on August 9, 1979 that Pakistan’s nuclear program was for peaceful purposes only”.

I have told the US officials previously as well, Zia went on, Pakistan’s nuclear program had limited capability and the propaganda about it was mainly to divert the attention from the region’s situation.

It is pertinent to mention here that CIA has recently released its classified documents of 13 million pages for the first time on internet.