Stressing that nuclear proliferation must be seen in terms of ‘‘regional realities’’, a key Saudi military strategist has said Saudi Arabia does not accept the notion that ‘‘Pakistan’s nuclear bomb is an Islamic bomb’’.‘‘(Nuclear) proliferation must be seen in terms of regional realities — the Israeli monopoly of nuclear weaponry, defiance of non-proliferation regimes by India and Pakistan and reported efforts by both Iran and Iraq to acquire nuclear weapons,’’ Prince Naef Bin Ahmed Al-Saud, a key Saudi military official ‘‘with responsibilities for strategic planning’’, said in the Joint Forces Quarterly, published by the Institute for National Security Studies for the National Defence University.Naef, of the ruling Saudi family, said ‘‘Saudi Arabia does not accept the notion that a Pakistani bomb is an Islamic bomb. Instead, national interest is regarded as the most likely factor affecting how nuclear capabilities will be used’’. He said it is ironic that building an alliance to combat terrorism has brought the United State closer to two sources of nuclear proliferation in South Asia— India and Pakistan’’.
