Richard Barlow Says Operation Could Have “Solved a Lot of Problems”
A retired CIA agent Richard Barlow verified that a secret operation to bomb Pakistan’s Kahuta nuclear plant was planned between India and Israel in the early 1980s, to stop Islamabad’s nuclear ambitions. In an interview with ANI, Barlow regarded the Indian authorities’ decision of not going ahead with the plan as “a shame”, hinting that the carrying out of the operation could have “sorted out a lot of issues” in the area.
Proposed Preemptive Strike Against Pakistan’s Nuclear Program
Declassified reports and intelligence accounts have long hinted that India and Israel allegedly formulated a preemptive airstrike on the Kahuta uranium enrichment plant — the heart of Pakistan’s nuclear program. The operation’s intent was to prevent Islamabad from developing and proliferating nuclear weapons, particularly to adversarial nations such as Iran, which Israel viewed as a significant threat.
Barlow, who served as a counterproliferation officer with the CIA during Pakistan’s secret nuclear developments, stated that while he was aware of the plan, he had not directly worked on it.
“I was out of government from 1982 until 1985. I heard about it at some point. But I didn’t get my teeth into it because it never happened,” Barlow explained.
US Would Have Opposed the Strike, Says Barlow
Barlow believes that the US administration under President Ronald Reagan would have been very vocal against any such strike since it could have hindered America’s secret war with the USSR in Afghanistan. The US at that time was very dependent on Pakistan as a channel for its aid to the Afghan Mujahideen.
Barlow said, “I think Reagan would have neutered Menachem Begin if he did anything like that,” referring to the Prime Minister of Israel at that time. “It would have been a mess in the Afghan situation.”
Pakistan’s Strategic Leverage Over the US
Barlow further revealed that Pakistan exploited its geopolitical leverage during the Afghan war. Senior Pakistani officials, including Munir Ahmad Khan, then-head of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), allegedly warned US lawmakers that any disruption in aid could jeopardize Islamabad’s cooperation in the anti-Soviet campaign.
“They were basically using the flow of covert aid to the Mujahideen as blackmail,” Barlow noted. “If you pull aid, we’re not going to support the Mujahideen anymore.”
Kahuta: The Core of Pakistan’s Nuclear Success
The Kahuta enrichment facility, established under Dr. A.Q. Khan, became the cornerstone of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. The site played a central role in Pakistan’s eventual success, culminating in the country’s first nuclear tests in 1998, officially marking it as a nuclear power.
All Inputs From ANI
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A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
