The Great American Tradition of Geopolitical Betrayal: Trump's Crypto and Reagan's Nuke deals with Pakistan

As the fog of the war of the initial Operation Sindoor settles, it seems that the Trump administration was working behind the scenes against India in a far more profound way than we thought. What does that mean for us? Let us analyze.

The Great American Tradition of Geopolitical Betrayal: Trump's Crypto and Reagan's Nuke deals with Pakistan
“One may outwit another, but not all the others.” ― François de La Rochefoucauld

In the grand theater of world affairs, deceit is not an aberration - it is the norm!

To look for morals in geopolitics is akin to stargazing in a stormy night. Yes, behind all the minds in the deepest confines, the stars are there. But all that is available and visible to us are ever-shifting clouds of interest and ambition.

Because of history, Indian leaders have not fully trusted American leadership. For it was understood that when the leaders' personal ambitions drove the American machine of power, they put not just millions of lives in other countries on the line but also the lives of Americans themselves.

When we look at the current scenario in the Indian subcontinent, and Trump administration's handling of the situation, one finds that things remain the same.

How Reagan set Pakistan up as the terror hub of the world, Trump - who found a bankrupt, debt-ridden, terror-laden Pakistan - is bringing Pakistan's ability to wield the terror monster yet again in a potent way.

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Damage in Pakistan from Operation Sindoor

Operation Sindoor and its damage in Pakistan has been largely denied by the Pakistanis.

However, one must see a couple of pieces of evidence to know what really happened there.

Pakistan has officially denied the damage done to its air bases, but then the country's Prime Minister Sharif gave it away in a speech.

On the night between the 9th and 10th, at preciselyone must see a couple of pieces of evidence 2:30 AM, Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir personally called Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to inform him of a dramatic development: India had conducted a coordinated strike on multiple Pakistani airbases.

According to reports, the Indian Air Force targeted strategic installations in retaliation for a recent terror attack in Kashmir, allegedly supported by Pakistan’s ISI.

The call, made in the dead of night, reflected the urgency and gravity of the situation - Pakistan’s military infrastructure was under active assault.

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Now for another report. This video provides an on-ground visual report from Muridke, Pakistan, where the Markaz-e-Taiba, the headquarters of the terror organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has reportedly sustained heavy damage. What makes this revelation even more explosive is the location of this complex—inside a Pakistani Government Administrative Facility, blurring the lines between state infrastructure and terrorist safe havens.

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Situated on the outskirts of Lahore, Markaz-e-Taiba is not just a headquarters; it has long been the ideological, operational, and training hub of Lashkar-e-Taiba. This sprawling complex houses mosques, schools (madrassas), training areas, weapons storage units, and residential quarters for LeT cadres. It also serves as the base for Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), LeT's political and charitable front, both designated terrorist entities by the United Nations and the U.S. State Department.

In the video, the reporter details how this site was used as a nerve center for jihadist planning, providing administrative offices for key LeT functionaries. The fact that such a complex exists within government premises underscores Pakistan’s deep and long-standing entanglement with state-sponsored terror. The destruction seen here was the result of precision strikes targeting LeT’s infrastructure during Indian retaliation.

In another case, one of the drones used by Pakistan, of Turkish origin, was found to be intact by the Indian personnel.

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You wouldn't have known this if you were following the global mainstream media. Per them, it was a clear victory for the Chinese aircraft and air defence systems which could not stop a thing and for Turkey's drones that couldn't hit anything useful and would fall on the ground intact! But when the media is bought, it does what it is paid to do.

Trump "knows both Indians and Pakistanis"? How?

As tensions escalated between India and Pakistan, U.S. President Donald Trump broke his silence on May 7, 2025, the day Operation Sindoor was launched. In his statement, Trump characterized the escalation as "so terrible" and expressed familiarity with both nations, saying, "I know both very well and I want to see them stop."

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One found that rather strange.

"Know both"?

One saw that Trump was good friends with Indian PM Modi—quite warm and friendly — while one hadn't heard much about Trump's interest in Pakistan.

However, he chose to equate both when India was pushing back after a dastardly terror attack.

Where was this coming from? This equivalence.

At that time, despite my incredulous reaction, I chalked it up to diplomatic speak. But he kept on with that line.

And then, strange information started pouring in about how US President suddenly started taking the credit for "negotiating" a ceasefire.

All those things raised one's eyebrows. Why was that happening?

The Crypto Deal

Just days before blood flowed in Pahalgam and innocent Indian pilgrims were gunned down—segregated by faith like cattle for slaughter—a deal was being inked in Islamabad.

Pakistan's Crypto Council (PCC) was formed on March 14th, 2025, just weeks before signing a landmark agreement with World Liberty Financial (WLF) on April 26th, 2025.

In March 2025, the finance ministry announced the launch of the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), which it said would “regulate and integrate blockchain and digital assets” into the country’s financial landscape. It argued that this was in line with global trends, and it reverses years of lacking support for the sector. Specifically, the PCC is an advisory body on which representatives from government, industry and regulation sit. It is designed to oversee Pakistan’s policy development in crypto and blockchain, as well as collaborate with other countries to develop standardized frameworks. (Source: Pakistan Gets Serious on Crypto Aiming to Vye with Dubai and Singapore / Crypto Council for Innovation)

WLF, majority-owned by Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Jared Kushner (60% stake), aims to develop blockchain infrastructure, stablecoins, and tokenized assets in Pakistan.

Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir personally welcomed the WLF delegation-unusual for a commercial deal-and attended closed-door sessions with PM Shehbaz Sharif. This military-civilian coordination suggests the deal had strategic importance beyond financial innovation.

Source: Pakistan inked deal with crypto company in which Trump kin has 60% stake / Times of India

As per Newsweek, the deal is backed by the UAE's MGX and has direct involvement from the UAE's National Security Advisor.

The deal, backed by the UAE's MGX and led by the country's national security adviser, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, underscores the growing financial entanglements between Trump family businesses and the Gulf monarchy. MGX, a tech investment firm backed by the UAE's Mubadala Investment and AI company G42, announced it will use USD1—a stablecoin launched by the Trump family—for a $2 billion investment in Binance. The deal was revealed at the Token2049 crypto conference in Dubai by Zach Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial and son of Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. (Source: "Trump's Middle East Business Surge Prompts Conflict of Interest Attacks" / Newsweek)

We have discussed the details of this story in our video. Please watch it, share it, and subscribe to the channel for more such videos.

Now, let us try to understand the real story behind the deal - who gets what?

The Real Story of the Deal

So what will the deal really be doing?

According to a statement released by Pakistan's Crypto Council as well as World Liberty Financial, the agreement permits the latter to integrate blockchain technology across Pakistan's financial institutions. really be, it said, adding that the aim of the deal is to enhance "financial inclusion and digital transformation" in Pakistan. With heightened scrutiny over the deal after the Pahalgam terror attack, World Liberty Financial issued a press note saying the are "no political motives" behind the agreement. President Trump's family, as well as the White House, have remained silent over the issue so far. (Source: "Deal In Pakistan With Links To Donald Trump, Asim Munir Under Scrutiny: Report" / NDTV)

Read that carefully.

"It also gives way for tokenisation of assets, development of various types of stablecoin, and regulatory sandboxes for pilot projects in decentralised finance."

But in geostrategic financial terms, it signals the construction of a shadow financial architecture, and potentially, a financial dark web under the guise of fintech experimentation.

Let's break it down.

Tokenization of National Assets: This is a nice way to say digital auctioning of sovereignty. Tokenization refers to turning real-world assets (like land, minerals, energy reserves, infrastructure) into digital tokens that can be traded on blockchain platforms. In a resource-strapped and corrupt state like Pakistan, this can lead to selling off critical national assets—ports, land, water rights—to foreign or shadow buyers without public oversight. Think Gwadar 2.0, but digitized, anonymous, and irreversible.

We have seen privatization and we know how it rattles people. Well, this is de-sovereignization, if you will, on the blockchain!

Covert Terror-backing Stablecoin: A Pakistani state-backed stablecoin—pegged to gold, oil, or even the rupee—would represent a dangerous bypass of the global financial order. By sidestepping the U.S. dollar, the SWIFT banking system, and IMF oversight, such a digital currency could enable financial operations in total opacity.

Pakistanis may think this gives them some kind of financial independence but this isn’t anything about economic or financial freedom.

In fact, to the contrary, tt's about building off-the-books funding channels that are invisible to regulators and intelligence agencies.

These channels could be exploited by Pakistan’s ISI to funnel money for arms purchases, cyber disinformation campaigns, and terror operations—far from the eyes of FATF or Western banks.

More alarmingly, this infrastructure could be opened up to rogue actors—from Iran and North Korea to Hezbollah or the Taliban—creating a covert alliance of sanctioned regimes and non-state militias operating on a shared, decentralized monetary system.

In short, such a stablecoin would be a modern reincarnation of the hawala system, only now with blockchain speed and global reach. What was once a shadowy cash-based network is now poised to become a digitally armored financial weapon, forged in Islamabad but available to any actor with malicious intent.

This looks like fintech. But it isn't. Essentially, it’s financial warfare by other means.

Pakistan as a regulation-subverting crypto sandbox: A regulatory sandbox allows experimentation with financial technologies outside traditional oversight. But in Pakistan’s hands, it becomes something far more dangerous—an immunity zone for geopolitical subversion.

Under the guise of innovation, Pakistan is offering a platform where foreign actors—Trump-linked ventures, Gulf investors, or state-aligned crypto entities—can quietly test radical financial instruments without fear of scrutiny. This includes experimenting with untraceable fund flows, synthetic currencies, and blockchain structures designed to exploit legal grey zones.

Worse, it allows the live piloting of money laundering techniques, where illicit funds can be cycled, masked, and moved globally under the radar. Decentralized Finance (DeFi) loopholes—already a global concern—can now be refined and militarized in a real-world sandbox, sponsored by a military regime.

These financial sandboxes are not labs for progress; they are Petri dishes for economic sabotage.

They offer plausible deniability—if caught, actors claim it was “just a pilot.” If successful, they scale it globally.

What Pakistan offers is not a regulatory relief zone—it is a shadow incubator for the next phase of financial warfare, where terror, corruption, and statecraft merge in digital code, beyond borders and consequence.

Bottomline: Pakistan has again offered itself for West's Dark Plans

Under General Asim Munir, Pakistan has once again opened its doors to be used as a geopolitical laboratory. Pakistan's Army elite is not looking for Pakistan's growth or social reform as many times before this.

However, this time, the terrain isn’t just physical. It’s digital, and the weapons are not tanks or drones, but stablecoins, smart contracts, and blockchain wallets.

Just as during the Afghan War and the so-called “War on Terror,” Pakistan surrendered its geography and institutions to Western intelligence networks.

The result?

A shadow military-industrial complex that perfected the art of funds diversion, regime change, and proxy warfare, with a steady stream of dollars flowing into the hands of select elites in Washington and London.

If you think that America’s wars were just fought in the deserts of Iraq or the mountains of Afghanistan. Think again.

They were fought in your wallets.

Because while soldiers bled, and nations burned, money flowed upwards.

From the pockets of everyday American taxpayers to the vaults of a privileged few.

How much are we talking about?

An estimated $345 trillion.

Let that sink in.

Between 1947 and 2020, this staggering amount was channeled into the military-industrial complex, backed by complicit politicians, lobbyists, and think tanks. (Source: Examining The Military Industrial-Cultural Complex /Brown Political Review)

World calls it defense spending. But is it? From where I see it - it was the greatest wealth transfer in human history.

A transfer not from the rich to the poor. But from the many to the few. From Main Street to Beltway. From the working class to the Deep State elite.

And the cost? Stolen futures of many generations of Americans.

According to the RAND Corporation, had this redistribution not occurred, the average American earning $35,000 today would be making $61,000. Someone earning $72,000 would have seen $135,000 in a fair system.

For example, are you a typical Black man earning $35,000 a year? You are being paid at least $26,000 a year less than you would have had income distributions held constant. Are you a college-educated, prime-aged, full-time worker earning $72,000? Depending on the inflation index used (PCE or CPI, respectively), rising inequality is costing you between $48,000 and $63,000 a year. But whatever your race, gender, educational attainment, urbanicity, or income, the data show, if you earn below the 90th percentile, the relentlessly upward redistribution of income since 1975 is coming out of your pocket. (Source: The Top 1% of Americans Have Taken $50 Trillion From the Bottom 90%—And That's Made the U.S. Less Secure / Time Magazine)

But fairness was never the goal. Control was. Enrichment was.

America exported war.

Yes.

But it used that as a mechanism to loot its own people, cloaked in patriotism and fear.

Today, it’s déjà vu - the same playbook all over again - but with a digital twist.

Pakistan is offering its institutions, tech talent, and regulatory immunity zones as the perfect testbed to simulate and scale financial subversion. This includes:

  • Intelligence financing through untraceable crypto rails
  • Proxy warfare funded via smart contracts
  • Resource tokenization leading to silent extraction by foreign hands
  • Sanctions evasion using stablecoins beyond SWIFT
  • Political manipulation through off-chain payments and anonymous influence ops

This is not your plain old fintech play.

It’s digital colonization—a repeat of history where the West’s strategic elites use Pakistan to build unaccountable global systems, and Pakistan’s generals get their cut to fund internal repression and regional chaos.

And what’s the price? Total control of Pakistan’s economic future, its digital sovereignty, and an open gateway to align with rogue regimes.

History repeats—but this time, the battlefield is encrypted.

CCP guy as the PCC Advior?

We saw a Chinese name Changspeng Zhao - founded of Binance - mentioned as the advisor to the Pakistan Crypto Council. So, who is Changzpeng Zhao (CZ). It is rumored by some that he is in collusion with the Chinese Communist Party.

A charge that he denies though - (Source: Binance Calls ChatGPT-Based Allegations About CEO's Ties To Chinese Communist Party 'Ludicrous' / International Business Times)

Did Trump know about the Pakistani attacks?

Let's look at this article again.

Source: Pakistan inked deal with crypto company in which Trump kin has 60% stake / Times of India

Pay attention to when it was created.

So, the deal was done just prior to the Pahalgam attack! That does raise many suspicions, doesn't it?

While there is no direct evidence that the United States had advance knowledge of the Pahalgam terror attack, the timing of the Trump-linked WLF crypto deal with Pakistan raises serious questions.

This venture moved forward despite Pakistan’s globally acknowledged ties to terrorism, and in the immediate aftermath of an attack that left Indian soldiers dead, the U.S. State Department offered only a tepid response — a stark contrast to its usual posture on global terrorism.

It may have been cloaked as diplomatic caution. But in reality, it was strategic silence.

Instead of acknowledging the source of the violence — Pakistan’s jihadi infrastructure — global media outlets chose to spotlight India’s military response disproportionately.

The narrative subtly but decisively shifted by emphasizing “escalation” rather than provocation. Pakistan’s history of cross-border terror was buried beneath editorial euphemisms. India, the victim of yet another attack, was painted as the aggressor.

Was that accidental?

Now that we look at it, it aligns with broader geopolitical moves to isolate and pressurize India diplomatically, just as India asserts its autonomy on the global stage.

But the most dangerous consequence is long-term.

By advancing crypto deals and “digital innovation partnerships” with Pakistan, the U.S. and its elite financial networks risk legitimizing Pakistan’s dual-game strategy— hosting, funding, and exporting terror while simultaneously securing Western finance and tech credibility.

This sets a chilling precedent: terror-sponsoring states can be rehabilitated with a few digital buzzwords and blockchain pilots. All they need is the right partner — and the right enemy.

And in this grand game, India becomes the target, not the ally.

This convergence of crypto economics and geopolitics underscores a shift in U.S. priorities, where financial interests and mineral access may outweigh traditional alliances, leaving India strategically vulnerable.

Now, let us look at another deal that underscores a definitive shift in the US establishment's posture.

AMRAAM Missiles sale to Türkiye and its history with Pakistan

We also saw a recent statement by the U.S. State Department that confirmed its approval of a potential Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Republic of Türkiye. The US is selling AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) and associated logistical and program support, with an estimated value of USD 225 million.

With all that is going on in the Indian sub-continent and in the Middle-East amidst the geopolitical recalibration within NATO and the broader Asian region, this should be looked at closely.

More so because Türkiye is a close ally of Pakistan and it wouldn't be a surprise if some of these missiles end up in Pakistan as well. More importantly, Turkey has vowed complete support for their Pakistani friends and taking on India.

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The AIM-120C-8 is the latest version of the AMRAAM family.

They are capable of beyond-visual-range engagements and enhanced resistance to electronic countermeasures.

That showcases Türkiye’s aerial combat capabilities.

It is interesting that Türkiye had purchased the Russian air defense system S-400 in 2017. In 2020, the Trump administration slapped sanctions because of that.

Source: U.S. sanctions Turkey over purchase of Russian S-400 missile system / CNBC

Strategically, the current move reflects Washington’s warming up with Ankara, despite the 2020 tensions over Türkiye’s purchase of the Russian S-400 system and diverging positions on regional conflicts such as Syria and Ukraine.

However, the AMRAAM deal's ramifications extend beyond bilateral defense ties.

The transfer underscores a calculated U.S. effort to deter Russian and Iranian influence in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, while maintaining Türkiye’s integration within NATO’s strategic framework.

At the same time, it signals to European allies that, despite frictions, Ankara remains a critical partner in NATO’s southern flank defense posture.

The US State Department has authorised a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case for Turkiye to purchase AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles and related elements of logistics and program support for an estimated cost of USD 22 million. In a statement, the US State Department said, "The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Republic of Turkiye of AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles and related elements of logistics and program support for an estimated cost of USD 225 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today." (Source: "US State Dept authorises foreign military sales case for Turkiye to buy Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles" / Economic Times)

In the Indian context, this signals to India that the Trump administration is working to reward regimes that are directly inimical to Indian interests.

One must remember that US had not just sold F-16s to Pakistan in 2005, but also the AIM-120C AMRAAM missiles to be used on those F-16s.

Source: F-16.net

The official line was that these missiles were intended for counter-terrorism - which everyone familiar with Pakistan's conduct knows was a lie. Post Balakot in 2019, these were used against Indian combat aircraft.

Since then, the U.S. had refrained from resupplying AMRAAMs to Pakistan, and attempts to procure advanced AIM-120D variants were denied.

Lashkar-e-Toiba and Al Qaeda-linked Jihadists as White House Advisors?

Trump loyalist Laura Loomer came out with a post on X that shocked everyone. She stated that an Islamic jihadist had been announced as a member of the White House Advisory Board of Lay Leaders.

Source: Laura Loomer X Post

So, Ismail Royer has been appointed to a White House advisory board. Specifically, the Donald Trump administration named Royer to the Advisory Board of Lay Leaders, which is part of the Trump-era Religious Liberty Commission. Although Royer is not a core commissioner, but serves in an advisory capacity as one of the lay leader advisors to the commission.

Source: Department of Justice

What is this commission?

In May 2025, an Executive Order established the Religious Liberty Commission to strengthen faith-based engagement in governance and protect religious freedom.

The commission’s mandate was to produce a comprehensive report by 2026 on the state of religious freedom in the U.S., examining issues like attacks on houses of worship, threats to free exercise of religion, and protections for religious expression.

Source: WhiteHouse.gov

Royer's appointment to an advisory board gives him a “seat at the table” to influence discussions on religious liberty.

Ismail Royer was born Randall Todd Royer. He has a documented history of involvement in militant Islamist networks, which makes his appointment controversial.

In the early 2000s, Royer was part of the so-called “Virginia Jihad Network,” a group of men in Virginia who trained for jihad and sought to join overseas terrorist causes.

He even participated in firefights against Indian military positions in Kashmir during this time. Upon returning to the U.S., Royer helped at least five other men travel to LeT camps in Pakistan for training, providing them assistance to join the same terror outfit. He also admitted to helping another recruit, Ibrahim Al-Hamdi, gain entry to an LeT camp to train with rocket-propelled grenades for use against India.

Source: Times of India

Members of Royer’s network were not only anti-India; after 9/11 some also planned to aid the Taliban against U.S. forces, effectively aligning with al-Qaeda’s fight against American troops.

Interestingly, Royer was indicted in 2003 on terrorism-related charges, including conspiracy to levy war against the United States and providing material support to al-Qaeda and LeT.

Trump's act of elevating a former LeT jihadist to an advisory board in Washington will not sit well in New Delhi.

It could be seen as yet another act of contradicting America’s assurances of solidarity with India against Islamist terrorism.

Indian media outlets have widely reported Royer’s appointment with alarm, highlighting his LeT links and even his role in attacks on Indian targets

In January 2004, he pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the use of a firearm and an explosive in a crime of violence (terrorism). He was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

Royer is not the only jihadi appointed to this bosy. There is another one - Shaykh Hamza Yusuf.

Source: Ex-terror convict, Hamas-linked scholar picked as Trump's advisors: Report / India Today

Indian-Americans, who vividly remember the 26/11 Mumbai carnage and other LeT-sponsored attacks, will view Royer’s appointment as deeply hurtful.

Many in the diaspora lost friends or family in such attacks or feel a strong solidarity with victims. Seeing a man who once trained with the very group that orchestrated Mumbai’s massacre now being honored with an advisory role in the White House would be understandably disturbing.

For many, it is a clear sign that political leadership is overlooking the gravity of LeT’s actions and even aligning with or worse, rewarding, terror groups.

But all these actions by the US and its leader are nothing new.

It has happened before. Even at the cost of its own people. Let us relate that tale.

The Ultimate Betrayal: How Reagan’s White House Handed Nuclear Weapons to Pakistan – and Unleashed a Terror State on India

Long before Russian President Vladimir Putin was accused of compromising American security, long before allegations of foreign meddling became a partisan talking point in Washington, one nation had already mastered the art of infiltrating, manipulating, and ultimately compromising U.S. foreign policy at the highest levels.

That nation was Pakistan.

And it didn’t just play the Americans — it got nukes out of it.

Behind the scenes of Cold War diplomacy and Reagan-era posturing was a betrayal so sweeping, so consequential, that it reshaped the balance of power in South Asia and created a nuclear-powered, terror-exporting state that has haunted India ever since.

The man who uncovered it all?

Richard Barlow—a brilliant intelligence analyst, once hailed as a rising star in the CIA. His reward for exposing the truth?

His life and career destroyed, reputation ruined, and dignity stripped. He now lives in obscurity, in a trailer, forgotten by the very country he tried to save.

Who is Richard Barlow?

Barlow wasn’t just another analyst. He was a decorated operative, recipient of the CIA’s Exceptional Accomplishment Award in 1988, and a man who believed in the system — until he saw it from the inside.

His “mistake”? He dared to challenge the political elite who were enabling Pakistan’s nuclear ambitions. He exposed what no one wanted to confront: that the Reagan administration, knowingly and systematically, helped Pakistan build a nuclear bomb.

Source: 'US admn allowed Pak to acquire nuke tech' / Times of India

Plain and simple - it was collusion.

The Reagan Administration’s Unholy Alliance

When Barlow began investigating Pakistan’s nuclear program, he assumed, like many idealists, that the U.S. government simply didn’t realize how far things had gone. He blamed “clientitis”—the tendency of American diplomats to sympathize too closely with their foreign counterparts.

Source: Deception , Pakistan, the United States, and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons

He was wrong.

The truth was darker: the U.S. State Department wasn’t just turning a blind eye—it was actively facilitating Pakistan’s nuclear procurement.

Documents and cables showed that while Customs and Commerce departments were working to stop illicit nuclear-related exports, the State Department was quietly greenlighting them. Approvals were issued to the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, D.C. to export high-tech dual-use equipment explicitly denied by other U.S. agencies for nonproliferation reasons.

Worse, when U.S. Customs agents were preparing to raid front companies linked to Pakistan’s nuclear smuggling network, the State Department would tip off the Pakistani consulate, allowing suspects and materials to vanish.

It clearly wasn't negligence or oversight. It was treason in slow motion.

The "Kahuta Client": The Heart of the Nuclear Theft

The center of Pakistan’s nuclear program was the Kahuta Research Laboratories, where the now-notorious Dr. A.Q. Khan ran an elaborate uranium enrichment facility using stolen centrifuge blueprints from Europe.

But Kahuta couldn’t have operated without parts—high-speed switches, vacuum equipment, specialized alloys—all of which were sourced from the West, often from American suppliers.

Barlow and U.S. Customs, in a dramatic counter-intelligence operation, set a trap for Arshad Pervez, a known frontman for Pakistan’s nuclear program who was trying to acquire restricted materials. His handler?

Inam-ul-Haq—a Pakistani diplomat who would later become Pakistan’s Foreign Minister.

Pervez was arrested. Haq fled. Barlow later discovered that Haq had been tipped off — by someone in the U.S. government.

On pages 167 and 169, Levy and Scott-Clark say this:

Dick Kerr looked over the evidence. Abraham Sofaer for State reviewed it too. Both had little appetite for another inquisition, and yet the men accused of blowing the Pervez (Arshad Pervez) sting were extremely close to the White House: Robert Peck, the deputy assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs, and another official at the under secretary level. The accusations were devastating. The lawyer dryly put his thoughts to a criminal investigator working for the State IG, “I am fully aware of the cable traffic and documents on this issue”. There was cold proof of sabotage from within the State Department. The State Department’s lawyers considered their position, and eventually would argue that a Justice Department probe into Peck or his colleague would necessitate the spilling of state secrets and possibly invoke an independent counsel’s investigation. While they dumped the probe, the president made his annual Pressler amendment certification to Congress in December 1987, saying, “Pakistan does not possess a nuclear explosive device”. (emphasis added) [Deception: Pakistan, the United States, and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons, page 167 and 169]

This was no longer about Pakistan’s deception. It was about America’s complicity.

The Lie That Shaped a Region

Even as evidence piled up, U.S. Presidents continued to lie to their own people.

Statements were issued claiming Pakistan “did not possess a nuclear explosive device,” despite classified evidence to the contrary. Congress was misled. Whistleblowers like Barlow were sidelined, harassed, and ultimately discarded.

In 1985, the Pressler Amendment made U.S. aid to Pakistan conditional on nuclear non-proliferation. But year after year, presidents from Reagan to George H.W. Bush simply waived the requirement, despite mounting proof that Pakistan was building bombs.

And what was the result?

Pakistan not only developed nuclear weapons, but it also became the most dangerous nuclear proliferator in modern history—selling its designs to North Korea, Iran, and Libya, and fueling nuclear instability from East Asia to the Middle East.

Here is a verity.

“If the U.S. is ever attacked with a nuclear bomb, you’ll know who to blame— Reagan.”

Why Did the U.S. Betray Itself?

So why would the United States, the most powerful nation in the world, betray its own laws, its own intelligence community, and its own long-term security interests to arm Pakistan with nuclear weapons?

The answer lies in Cold War realpolitik.

As early as the 1950s, Pakistan had offered its remote northern regions to the CIA and NSA for surveillance operations against the Soviet Union. It became America’s forward base for intelligence-gathering, a gateway into Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Source: "On the Nuclear Edge" / Seymour Hersh, March 21st, 1993

In return, the U.S. looked the other way on Pakistan’s internal repression, jihadist ideology, and eventual nuclear ambitions. That partnership only deepened with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

Pakistan, under dictator Zia-ul-Haq, became the launchpad for America’s anti-Soviet jihad, arming and training mujahideen fighters who would later morph into the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

The Reagan Doctrine needed a staging ground. Pakistan delivered. In return, the U.S. delivered uranium, centrifuges, and diplomatic cover.

And when men like Richard Barlow tried to stop the madness, they were destroyed.

A Weapon Turned Against India

The nuclear arsenal gifted to Pakistan by American negligence and complicity was never intended to deter Israel or the Soviet Union.

It was always about India.

Since the 1980s, Pakistan has used its nuclear weapons as a shield to wage unrelenting asymmetric warfare against India through terror groups, cross-border incursions, and proxy insurgencies.

From the 1989 Kashmir terrorism to the 1999 Kargil War, from the 2001 Indian Parliament attack to the 2008 Mumbai massacre, Pakistan’s deep state has funded and directed jihadist violence while hiding behind its nuclear capability.

As a blackmail!

India’s strategic restraint in the face of repeated provocation stems not from weakness, but from Washington’s Cold War betrayal that allowed Pakistan to cloak terrorism in the aura of nuclear deterrence.

And the world’s most powerful democracy? It enabled it all.

A Betrayal

Today, Richard Barlow lives in a trailer, financially ruined, professionally ostracized, and ignored by the government he once served.

He sacrificed his career to reveal the truth—that Ronald Reagan’s administration, for the sake of short-term geopolitical gain, empowered a rogue state with nuclear weapons, destabilized an entire region, and endangered generations of Americans and Indians alike.

This wasn’t a policy failure. This was the deliberate betrayal of democratic ideals, national security, and global peace.

An Encore?

The lesson from Barlow’s story is not just about one man’s sacrifice. It is a mirror held up to the West's moral hypocrisy, its willingness to compromise on principle for power, and the danger of trusting allies who thrive on duplicity.

Pakistan’s nukes were made in Kahuta, but they were sanctioned in Washington.

And every time a terrorist crosses the LoC, every time India buries its dead after a suicide bombing, the echoes of that betrayal ring out again.

If the U.S. truly wishes to uphold a rules-based world order, it must confront the ghosts of its own past.

Instead, it has embarked on another chapter of betrayal that will hit at not just India but engulf the world in violence and one day reach the shores of every Western country - in Europe and North America. Make no mistake, the fanatic minds do not need a visa to propagate their ideologies. The internet and books facilitate that enough.

And, we need to remember that the most dangerous weapons aren't just missiles or bombs - they are the lies we tell ourselves to justify empowering our enemies.

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