President Obama advises India and Pakistan to exercise restraint over nuclear weapons
The President of the US, Barack Obama, on Friday, 1st April 2016 urged both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint over military doctrines and nuclear arsenal, which he termed as the key to peace and stability in the Indian sub-continent. Speaking at the occasion of the Fourth Nuclear Security Summit held at Washington DC, which saw the participation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Obama also announced his efforts to curtail the spread of nuclear weapons and other deadly conventional weapons across the globe.
Barack Obama, at the end of the Nuclear Security Summit, stated his desire to see peace and harmony between the two countries – India and Pakistan. He also expressed his concerns about small tactical nuclear warheads, which carry a greater risk of theft. A few days back, after the terror attacks in Brussels, it had been found that the ISIS operatives had detailed knowledge about the comings-and-goings of a top Belgium officer working in a nuclear facility. The intelligence sources soun
ded an alarm at the discovery, as it would spell doom if the militant groups get hold of a nuclear weapon.
Obama also took a dig at the much-debated Cold Start Doctrine thought up by New Delhi, which prepares to strike deep into Pakistan in response to dangerous acts of terrorism against India. Though New Delhi has repeatedly claimed of not implementing the Cold Start Doctrine and that Pakistan has historically been the aggressor, it is surprising that Obama chose to mention the doctrine at the Nuclear Security Summit. The Modi-regime, in an extension to the erstwhile UPA reign, has exercised restraint while dealing with Pakistan, even after the shocking Pathankot airbase attacks.
Pakistan has prepared battlefield nuclear weapons or tactical mini-nukes, which have been placed at the disposal of its military commanders to be used in case of India implements the Cold Start Doctrine. This has also not gone down well with the US President and other world leaders, who believe that militants have easily accessed secure Pakistani protected sites in the past, as is evident from the numerous terror attacks, so the mini-nukes are not safe at the hands of the military commanders. Pakistan did send any top officials to the Nuclear Security Summit, citing the recent Lahore terrorist attack as an excuse.
