The Indo-Pakistani War (The Russian Agents Book 7), page 4
Then there were the dangers contained on the ships themselves. For instance, in 2016, a tanker built in 1982 called the Mobil Flinders had gas cylinders on board explode while being scrapped at Gadani. The final casualty toll was 14 dead, 59 burned but survived, and 30 missing.
It was no coincidence that the three countries with the largest ship breakage yards had the most men poor and desperate enough to do the work.
"I'm also pleased to say that we've improved our already excellent completion speed record. We can scrap an average-size ship in no more than a month, and sometimes a little less," Jamshad added.
This impressed Sajid even more. Competing yards in Bangladesh and India took about six months to achieve the same result.
"That's excellent work, Jamshad!" Sajid exclaimed. "You've cut injuries and deaths as well as our costs, fully staffed the operation, and increased its efficiency! I knew I'd picked the right man for your next project!"
At that, Jamshad's answering smile faltered.
"Next project, sir?" Jamshad asked.
"That's right. But don't be concerned about being stretched too thin. I'm assigning you two new deputies for the duration of this next project, one who will cover shipbuilding and the other shipbreaking. If this new project goes as well as I expect, I will leave those deputies in charge and put you in a new position. Deputy Director of AZA, in charge of overseeing all day-to-day operations," Sajid said.
"Sir, that's…a great honor. I don't know what else to say," Jamshad said, clearly overwhelmed.
Sajid nodded. It was the reaction he'd expected.
"Well, it's an honor you'll have to work hard to earn. In many ways, though, you've already started. Your teacher tells me that your Spanish lessons have been going well," Sajid said.
"Yes, sir. Am I right to guess, then, that we plan to expand our company operations to Latin America?" Jamshad asked with a puzzled frown.
Sajid laughed and shook his head. "No, Jamshad. But there is an engineer you will be spending a great deal of time with named Carlos Ortiz. He does speak some English but is only fluent in his native Spanish. Now that I have Ortiz here, you are the only one I trust to communicate with him."
Jamshad's frown deepened. "What sort of an engineer is this Ortiz?"
Sajid smiled. "He's a submarine engineer."
"Ah!" Jamshad exclaimed. "So, we have been given a contract by the government to build a new submarine!"
Sajid's smile didn't waver as he shook his head.
"So, we will build a small one on our own to demonstrate to the government that AZA is capable of…" Jamshad's voice trailed off as Sajid kept shaking his head.
"I'm sorry, sir. I should stop trying to guess and just let you tell me what you need," Jamshad said ruefully.
"Very good! Mind you, I would have been disappointed if you hadn't tried. But the truth is, I'm hoping that no one will be able to guess my plan. We will indeed build a submarine. But it will not be for the government. It will be for us," Sajid said.
"Yes, sir," Jamshad replied and then hesitated.
"Go ahead and ask," Sajid said gently. "Our trust in each other must be total, both for this project and then for your next job as Deputy Director."
Jamshad nodded. "Sir, what do you plan to do with a submarine?"
Sajid looked at Jamshad intently. "We have talked several times about the cruel blows dealt to our families by the Indians. How justice must someday be served. Well, this submarine will be the instrument by which judgment will finally be carried out."
"You have my full support," Jamshad said at once.
Though Sajid's answering nod appeared calm, he actually felt intense relief. All along, his greatest fear had been that he had misjudged Jamshad and that he would refuse to take part in Sajid's plan.
Silencing Jamshad, in that case, wasn't the problem. Sajid had spent years building up a security force loyal to him who would obey any orders without question. He had already used it several times to eliminate men who had become obstacles to his plans.
There was simply no one besides Jamshad with the language and technical skills needed to oversee the submarine project. Replacing him would take years.
Now, that wouldn't be necessary.
"Sir, I just have one question. What weapon will the submarine carry? It will be important to know that for the submarine's design," Jamshad said.
Sajid nodded. A perfectly reasonable question. And an incident he had just learned about at the border involving Pakistan's tactical nuclear weapons had finally given him the answer.
Surely it was a sign from God, Sajid thought. Just as I am ready to begin building the vessels to transport my instruments of vengeance, a hand appears, pointing to the weapons I should use.
Another voice in his head interrupted immediately. Telling him not to be so sure of divine blessing until the weapons were his.
"I can't say right now. Not because I don't want to, but because I'm not yet sure of the precise details. But I should have them for you soon. In the meantime, I want you to begin collecting the materials and workforce you'll need for construction. As well as identify a secure location to carry out production. You should also get to know this man, Ortiz, and make sure you can communicate with each other without issues. One other detail I can give you now," Sajid said.
"Yes, sir?" Jamshad asked.
Sajid smiled. "I will need you to build two submarines."
Chapter Four
Pakistan Secretariat
Islamabad, Pakistan
Six Months Before Present Day
President Hamza Shadid did his best to contain his fury with General Firoz Kulkari. The man was standing at attention in front of his desk.
But it wasn't easy.
Hamza still looked like what he had been for most of his working life. A handsome actor with a neatly trimmed beard and mustache who had played many roles in dramas and action movies for over two decades.
Making the transition from acting to politics had been done before in many countries. It had not been so difficult in Pakistan, where a cricketer had already made it to the Prime Minister's office.
The stern and forbidding expression that had looked out from a million movie posters was now trained on the General standing at attention before him.
The only difference was that now that he'd been President for a few years, he needed dye to keep the hair on his head and face their previous jet black.
That particular secret was known by only one other person. His wife.
"How were the Indians able to seize the Nasr missiles and get them out of our country? I can't believe there was nothing the officer in charge could do to prevent that!" Hamza said, his voice rising with anger.
"Sir, if I may, I would like to go through the options available to that officer. Then I will explain why none of them worked to prevent the missiles' capture. Finally, I will make recommendations to keep this from happening again," Firoz said.
At first, Firoz thought Hamza was going to start shouting. But then he visibly collected himself and ground out, "Proceed, General."
"Yes, sir. Option one would have been activating the missile's self-destruct function. However, since these missiles had nuclear warheads, self-destruct would only have been available after launch. That is because the nuclear material in the warheads would have been scattered across a considerable distance by a self-destruct explosion on the ground. There is no way our troops could have moved a safe distance in time if the missiles had remained in place after a self-destruct had been triggered," Firoz said.
Hamza nodded his understanding and gestured impatiently for Firoz to continue.
"As you know, the warheads are automatically armed once launch has been authorized. Of course, launching and then activating the missiles' self-destruct was impossible. Only you can give the order to launch nuclear missiles, and there wasn't enough time to reach you. It also appears the Indians used new jamming equipment, so contacting you wasn't possible in any case," Firoz said.
"What makes you think the Indians had new jamming equipment? And I thought we had taken steps to ensure they could call for help even if their radios were being jammed?" Hamza asked with a scowl.
"Yes, sir. The last time our missiles were attacked, the terrorists used an R-330ZH radio jammer. We issued secure cell phones to the Nasr detachment commander and his deputy that should have continued working even if the Indians had deployed that jammer or one similar. But we believe a new Russian system, the Leer-3 RB-341V, was used to jam their cell phones," Firoz said.
"So, the cell phones were useless, then. How do we know the Indians used this new Russian jammer?" Hamza asked.
"Ironically, sir, thanks to the cell phones. We recovered the one issued to the detachment commander some distance from his body so that he probably threw it away deliberately. Quick thinking on his part since all other electronics were removed from the scene by the Indians. We were able to pull this recording from the phone," Firoz said, handing Hamza the phone, with the recording icon already showing on its screen.
Hamza pressed it, and they both listened to the recording.
Finally, Hamza shook his head and asked, "Why didn't headquarters do anything about this report?"
Firoz grimaced and said, "Because this recording was never sent to headquarters, sir. This was not an official report but a private recording made by the detachment commander."
Hamza stared at Firoz in disbelief. "Why didn't he put all this in his official report?"
"The last part about the cell phone jamming was made while the attack was underway. Our technicians were able to isolate the sound of AK-203 fire in the recording's background. As for the earlier part, where the commander says he was worried about being led off course, I can only speculate. My guess would be that he hesitated to put a vague concern in his report without proof. We don't encourage officers to act on hunches with no evidence, sir," Firoz said.
"Even if they turn out to be completely justified," Hamza said bitterly.
Firoz had nothing to say to that, so he just sat quietly.
Finally, Hamza shook his head and asked, "How did the Indians manage to lead our troops astray and then jam the secure cell phones we deployed at such expense? I remember we had to do a special appropriation for money to build all the needed cell towers in border regions where hardly anyone lives. Like the region where this incident happened."
Firoz nodded. "That was our first question, sir, and we think we may have the answer," he said as he handed Hamza a picture of a small drone.
"This is a Russian-made Orlan-10 drone. The Leer-3 system consists of jammers on board the KamAZ-5350 command and control truck and those carried aloft by three Orlan-10 drones. Together they are capable of suppressing cell phone signals for a considerable distance. The Russians demonstrated in Syria that the Leer-3 system could also broadcast messages. We suspect either the Russians or the Indians have also found a way to use the Leer-3 system to transmit a false GPS signal."
"Which would explain why the detachment was so close to the Indian border," Hamza said.
"Yes, sir," Firoz replied. "Now, the next option I will describe was attempted by the troops guarding the missiles. That was to disable the trailer that carried them. Unfortunately, their efforts were foiled by design improvements we made to the Chinese 8x8 transporter erector launcher, or TEL, housing the A-100E 300mm Multiple Launch Rocket System. The most important were to the tires and engine housing. These improvements were intended to make it difficult to disable the trailer with small arms fire," Firoz said.
Hamza sighed and nodded. "And I suppose small arms is all the troops guarding the trailer carried."
"That's correct, sir," Firoz replied. "To summarize, the troops and their commanding officer couldn't launch the missiles. They couldn't make them self-destruct. And they couldn't disable the trailer carrying the missiles."
"Very well," Hamza said, shaking his head. "Options to keep this from happening again?"
"I'll start by recommending that we pull back all Nasr missiles from deployment until we have new safeguards in place," Firoz said.
Hamza shook his head. "Impossible. We're the only country with continuously deployed tactical nuclear weapons. It's a major part of our deterrent against India's nuclear forces, which continue to outnumber ours. Especially after this disaster, we can't be seen to retreat, even temporarily."
Firoz hesitated but then nodded.
He almost tried arguing that Pakistan's other nuclear assets were more than adequate to provide a credible deterrent. Shaheen silo-based medium-range ballistic missiles. Nuclear bombs capable of airborne deployment by Pakistan's F-16s. Sea-launched Babur cruise missiles.
But Firoz realized in time that Hamza meant retreat was "impossible" politically. Not militarily.
India parading captured Pakistani Nasr nuclear weapons would be humiliating enough, if they decided to do so. Retreating the Nasr weapons that remained, even temporarily, could lead to Hamza's overthrow.
And if he were no longer in office, nothing else Hamza decided would matter.
"In that case, sir, there are three other options. One is doubling the security detail accompanying each Nasr deployment. Two, assigning demolition experts to each deployed Nasr to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Three, giving launch codes to the officer in charge of each Nasr. There are pluses and minuses to each approach," Firoz said.
"Continue, General," Hamza said wearily.
"Increasing the Nasrs’ security detail would make them better capable of fighting off attackers. But it would also make them more visible, particularly from the air. It would also make initial deployment and subsequent movement of Nasrs slower and more cumbersome," Firoz said.
Hamza nodded. "And demolition experts?"
Firoz frowned. "The problem there is that I've been told by our best explosives technicians that without a program of research and testing, even experts may make a mistake. In particular, the Nasr missiles' fuel could be detonated by a charge intended only to disable the trailer carrying them. Casualties might include nearby civilians, particularly if the nuclear material in the warheads is dispersed."
Hamza winced. "Not an appealing prospect. Fine, I understand now why we might want to allow someone besides me to give a launch order for an armed Nasr that would then be sent a self-destruct code. But surely that should be someone higher ranking than the officer in charge of a Nasr deployment. A lower-ranking general, at least, if they can't reach either of us in time!"
Firoz shook his head. "Sir, we have to account for Indian jamming. Given time, we think we can overcome it. But for now, we have to assume another Indian attack will include jamming that will be just as effective as before."
Hamza leaned back in his chair and sat quietly for a moment, thinking.
Then he leaned forward.
"Can't you make it so the codes given to the officer in charge of the Nasrs only allow launch of the missiles without arming the warheads?" Hamza asked.
"Yes, we can, sir. In fact, I have already drafted orders for the work to begin, subject to your approval," Firoz said. Over the past few years, he'd learned to respect Hamza's intelligence, and this was another example of his quick wit in action.
"However, it will take the better part of a year for the software to be written, tested, and deployed to all Nasr units. I think that is too long for us to leave these missiles deployed and vulnerable to Indian capture," Firoz concluded.
"Agreed," Hamza said. "So, your recommendation?"
"Sir, we will do everything we can to accelerate creating and deploying new codes that only allow Nasr launch without arming the warheads. We will augment the Nasr security force, but not so much that it will slow Nasr movement or make the missiles more visible from the air. And we will assign all qualified technicians to the task of overcoming Indian jamming of battlefield communications," Firoz said.
Firoz hesitated, and Hamza smiled.
"Yes, General, and finally you wish me to authorize codes to launch an armed Nasr to be given to the Nasr detachment commander. To be used only if Nasr capture is imminent, and then only to use the self-destruct code later," Hamza said.
"That's all correct, sir," Firoz said.
Then Hamza frowned and asked, "What happens if the Nasr is launched, and the Indians then capture the trailer and the missile controls before we can give the self-destruct order?"
Firoz nodded. Hamza might have never served in the military, but he was no fool.
"Sir, we are constantly monitoring every inch of our skies. We would detect a Nasr missile launch within seconds. If you had not authorized it, we would broadcast the Nasr self-destruct codes at once, precisely in case the situation you describe had occurred."
Hamza's frown deepened. "Codes, General? I presume you have a way to distinguish between the Nasr that was fired, and all the others we have deployed."
"Yes, sir, but not in time. However, only a Nasr that is actually in flight will recognize a self-destruct code as valid. That makes broadcasting self-destruct codes for all the missiles safe. We must do it that way because the Nasr's flight time is very short, and there will be no time to confirm which Nasr has been launched," Firoz said.
Hamza shook his head. "General, I already knew we were dancing on the edge of a knife with these nuclear weapons. Now I'm starting to wonder if the question isn't whether disaster is ahead. But when."
Firoz nodded. "I share your misgivings, sir. But as long as an enemy armed with nuclear weapons sits on our border, all we can do is try our utmost to keep that day from arriving. We have thousands of highly trained soldiers, technicians, and engineers who know the stakes. Nuclear annihilation for them, their families, and everyone they know. They are highly motivated to do their best, sir."
"Well, when you put it that way, I don't doubt it," Hamza said with a sigh and then looked up at Firoz.
"We'll have to hope their best will be good enough."
Chapter Five
Prime Minister's Office
Secretariat Building
New Delhi, India
