WASHINGTON: Although 11 years have passed since India and Pakistan first conducted nuclear tests, the two South Asian rivals continue to produce more nuclear bombs and weapon-delivery systems, a US congressional research service and the media reported on Thursday.
‘Some time next year, at a tightly guarded site south of its capital, Pakistan will be ready to start churning out a new stream of plutonium for its nuclear arsenal, which will eventually include warheads for ballistic missiles and cruise missiles capable of being launched from ships, submarines or aircraft,’ notes The Washington Post.
‘About 1,000 miles to the southwest, engineers in India are designing cruise missiles to carry nuclear warheads, relying partly on Russian missile-design assistance,’ the newspaper adds.
‘India is also trying to equip its Agni ballistic missiles with such warheads and to deploy them on submarines. Its rudimentary missile-defence capability is slated for a major upgrade next year.’
In a larger report, the Congressional Research Service estimates that Pakistan has 60 nuclear warheads. Previous estimates pegged the number of warheads at 80-100.
The report, however, notes that Pakistan continues fissile material production for weapons, and is adding to its weapons production facilities and delivery vehicles.
Giving details of the nuclear warheads, the report says the weapons use an implosion design with a solid core of highly enriched uranium, about 15-20 kg per warhead and Islamabad continues to produce about 100 kg of highly enriched uranium for weapons every year.
The CRS also analyses Pakistan’s theory of nuclear deterrence, India’s response, and how the US has dealt with this issue so far.
The report — Pakistan’s nuclear weapons: proliferation and security issues — also explores the possibility of US forces seizing Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal to prevent a militant takeover and concedes that it would be an impossible task to accomplish.
The CRS, which prepares policy papers for US lawmakers, notes that India is clearly the only country Pakistan’s ‘minimum credible deterrent’ is directed against.
‘Pakistani officials have already determined the arsenal size needed for a minimum nuclear deterrent and they will not engage in an arms race with India,’ the report adds.
However, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency wrote in July 2008 that the US-India nuclear cooperation agreement, which entered into force in December 2008, could cause a nuclear arms race between Pakistan and India.
Pakistan has also pledged no-first-use against non-nuclear-weapon states, but has not ruled out first-use against a nuclear-armed aggressor that attacks Pakistan — ‘for example, India’. The report quotes analysts as saying that ‘this ambiguity serves to maintain deterrence against India’s conventional superiority.’
Others argue that keeping the first-use option against New Delhi allows Islamabad to conduct sub-conventional operations, such as support for low-intensity conflict or proxy war in Kashmir, while effectively deterring India at the strategic level.Source: dawn.com
No comments:
Post a Comment