General Masood was not pleased with the way the experts of the Pakistani nuclear establishment were handling the blueprints for the small nuke. He was frustrated that the committee had not reached a unanimous decision and no scientist was willing to guarantee that copying the design and building it with their lower-grade plutonium would work as advertized. What was even worse they had no constructive suggestions how to fix the problem and give him assurances that it would work at all. He realized that Professor Malick could not provide the scientific leadership he had hoped for and decided to disband the committee and summon Dr. Anwar Usman for a private meeting and ask him for his frank opinion. He was tired of receiving from the scientists answers like those given by lawyers — "on the one hand… and on the other hand…" — and looked for a decisive trustworthy opinion.
When Anwar arrived at work he was surprised to see the PINSTECH chief security officer waiting for him. He was instructed to accompany the officer and was driven to the headquarters of the Pakistani intelligence service where he was escorted to General Masood's office. The general welcomed him warmly and invited him to sit down in a comfortable recliner at the coffee table in the corner of his office while he took the recliner on the other side of the table. With a small smile he told his secretary that he was not to be disturbed unless a nuclear war with India broke out. Anwar had never seen the general behaving like this and expected a truly unconventional meeting.
The general started by flattering Anwar "I wish to commend you for being an outstanding scientist and a true patriot" and in a menacing voice added "Your personal life is none of the business of the intelligence service, but of course we know about your affair with gorgeous little Alma".
Anwar paled a little but waited for the general to continue. Masood said "You have probably deduced that you and the other committee members were given only a sample of the information on the advanced designs of nuclear weapons that were copied from the Americans".
Anwar nodded and the general continued "The American scientist who brought us these designs is undoubtedly considered as a renegade by his people, although he does have a good reason for handing these secrets to us. Actually two good reasons, one because he views Pakistan as the only Muslim country that can supply him with what he wants and the second reason that he can understand that we are not great fans of the US and its policy in Asia".
Anwar started to get seriously worried about what the general was implying — a nuclear weapon in the hands of a fanatic, so he timidly asked "What did we promise him?"
Masood said "Only two small nukes, and after he receives these he will hand over the schematics of much more powerful weapons, the top of the line in the American arsenal".
Anwar was shocked "General Masood, you are aware that the origin of the small nukes could be traced back to us. Modern nuclear forensics is bound to be able to prove that the plutonium comes from Pakistan, not to mention other pieces of evidence that will point to us. And Allah knows how they will respond — look what they did after 9/11 when only 3000 people were killed on US soil — they invaded Iraq, intensified their war in Afghanistan, chased and persecuted Muslims everywhere and increased their support of corrupt Arab regimes and Israel".
The general smiled bitterly and said "Yes, yes of course they did these things against countries that had weak armies and some conventional weapons but no nuclear weapons. Look at the American intervention, or actually fear of intervening, in what used to be Syria. They threatened war because the Assad's forces used chemical weapons but only after the Russian threw their weight around did Syria disband its chemical weapons, or at least convince the West that they were all destroyed, while we know that some of these weapons had been smuggled out of Syria to Lebanon, Iraq, Iran and even Turkey for future use. No, my dear Anwar, the mighty Americans wouldn't dare to mess with a nuclear power".
Anwar said "General, I have a suggestion that will allow us to obtain the rest of the blueprints without risking the wrath of the US. Why don't we simply arrest the American renegade and take the blueprints without giving him the nukes?"
Masood looked up, surprised and said "I have given him my word of honor and so far he has kept his part of the deal".
Anwar had his response ready "Of course we'll give him nukes, but we'll make sure they do not work properly. Alternatively, we could force him to reveal all the information, by force and torture if necessary. After all, it is our national security that is involved here and perhaps even our country's very existence".
The general said "Naturally we also considered using force to extract the information but decided against it because we believed that an act against American assets is also in our interest, and having it done by an American citizen would exonerate Pakistan. We were not aware of the possibility that it would be traced to us and the ramifications if we are put to blame. Thank you for your insights. I see no point in continuing the committee's work but would like you to serve as my special advisor for nuclear and scientific matters". The general summoned Rahman who escorted Anwar back to PINSTECH to collect his personal belongings and relocate to the headquarters of the intelligence services.
Rahman helped Anwar settle down in his new office that was down the hall from General Masood's office and was then called to the general's office. The general told him to assemble the committee one last time and thank them for their time and effort and then dismiss them. He also told Rahman about the conversation he had had with Dr. Anwar Usman and about Anwar's insights which were the reason he decided to move him to the headquarters. Rahman asked if the couple, Nagib and Alia, should be informed about these developments but the general said that they should only be told that work was in progress and hopefully they would receive the two devices soon, without specifying a date. Rahman suggested that he should fly to Karachi to tell them in person, and the general who was no fool and knew about his affair grinned and said that he must make sure to give Junaid his warm regards. Rahman saw that the general actually winked when he said this, and blushed.
Before leaving his office in PINSTECH Anwar called Alma and told her that he had been posted temporarily elsewhere and that he would tell her about it in the evening if she was free. Alma saw that he looked slightly relieved and the worried expression was gone and said that she would love to see him and would prepare something special for him. In the evening, after dinner he told her that he had been transferred to the headquarters of the intelligence services and would serve as a special assistant to General Masood. She told him she was glad that whatever had been bothering him before seemed to have gone away. Anwar smiled and said that he had found a way out of the dilemma that had troubled him before, a solution that would prevent the danger that he feared would sweep his country into a catastrophe without having to betray anything or anyone that mattered.
Chapter 13
Nagib and Alia were getting used to the lifestyle of the rich and famous, enjoying the amenities of the hotel and their suite. Junaid did not complain either and actually started to get attached to the couple. From time to time Nagib asked her what was happening in Islamabad and she told him what Rahman had informed her that work was in progress. As they were planning another night on the town there was a knock on the suite's door and Rahman entered with a big smile. First he reassured Nagib that everything was going according to plan and the two "presents" will be ready soon. Afterwards he asked Junaid what they had planned for the evening and she said that they intended to go out to the top ranking restaurant in Karachi for dinner. Rahman said that it was a very bad idea and a breach of security that could put them at risk because this particular restaurant was a favorite among foreign business people and many Americans ate there regularly, including members of the CIA. He proposed that they order take-away food from the same restaurant but have it delivered to their suite and this was accepted by one and all.