‘Pakistan can become world’s third-ranked nuclear power’
US paper believes Pakistan’s tactical nuclear weapons can hit India; longer-range nuclear missiles can reach farther
File photo of nuclear-capable missiles on a mobile launcher during a Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad.
NEW YORK – Pakistan, with as many as 120 warheads, could become the world’s third-ranked nuclear power in a decade, behind the United States and Russia, but ahead of China, France and Britain, according to The New York Times newspaper.
In its editorial, the paper reported that Pakistan’s arsenal was growing faster than any other country’s, and it has become even more lethal in recent years with the addition of small tactical nuclear weapons that can hit India and longer-range nuclear missiles that can reach farther.
“The major world powers spent two years negotiating an agreement to restrain the nuclear ambitions of Iran, which doesn’t have a single nuclear weapon. Yet there has been no comparable investment of effort in Pakistan, which along with India, has so far refused to consider any limits at all,” the paper said.
The US administration has begun to address this ‘complicated’ issue with greater urgency and imagination, even though the odds of success seem small. On Oct 22, the recent meeting at the White House between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Barack Obama appears to have gone nowhere. Yet it would be wrong not to keep trying, especially at a time of heightened tensions between Pakistan and India over Kashmir.
For decades, India was also penalised for developing nuclear weapons. But attitudes shifted in 2008 when the US, seeking better relations with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies as a counterweight to China, gave India a pass and signed a generous nuclear cooperation deal that allowed New Delhi to buy American nuclear energy technology.
American officials say they are not offering Pakistan an India-like deal, which would face stiff opposition in Congress, but are discussing what Pakistan needs to do to justify American support for its membership in the 48-nation Nuclear Supplier Group, which governs trade in nuclear fuel and technology.
As a first step, one American official said that Pakistan would have to stop pursuing tactical nuclear weapons, which are more likely to be used in a conflict with India, and halt development of long-range missiles. “Pakistan should also sign the treaty banning nuclear weapons tests,” the paper said.
Such moves would undoubtedly be in Pakistan’s long-term interest. It cannot provide adequate services for its citizens because it spends about 25 percent of its budget on defence. Pakistan Army, whose chief of staff is due to visit Washington this month, says it needs still more nuclear weapons to counter India’s conventional arsenal.
Also, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done nothing to engage Pakistan on security issues, and he also bears responsibility for current tensions. The nuclear arms race in South Asia, which is growing more intense, demands far greater international attention.
In its editorial, the paper reported that Pakistan’s arsenal was growing faster than any other country’s, and it has become even more lethal in recent years with the addition of small tactical nuclear weapons that can hit India and longer-range nuclear missiles that can reach farther.
“The major world powers spent two years negotiating an agreement to restrain the nuclear ambitions of Iran, which doesn’t have a single nuclear weapon. Yet there has been no comparable investment of effort in Pakistan, which along with India, has so far refused to consider any limits at all,” the paper said.
The US administration has begun to address this ‘complicated’ issue with greater urgency and imagination, even though the odds of success seem small. On Oct 22, the recent meeting at the White House between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Barack Obama appears to have gone nowhere. Yet it would be wrong not to keep trying, especially at a time of heightened tensions between Pakistan and India over Kashmir.
For decades, India was also penalised for developing nuclear weapons. But attitudes shifted in 2008 when the US, seeking better relations with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies as a counterweight to China, gave India a pass and signed a generous nuclear cooperation deal that allowed New Delhi to buy American nuclear energy technology.
American officials say they are not offering Pakistan an India-like deal, which would face stiff opposition in Congress, but are discussing what Pakistan needs to do to justify American support for its membership in the 48-nation Nuclear Supplier Group, which governs trade in nuclear fuel and technology.
As a first step, one American official said that Pakistan would have to stop pursuing tactical nuclear weapons, which are more likely to be used in a conflict with India, and halt development of long-range missiles. “Pakistan should also sign the treaty banning nuclear weapons tests,” the paper said.
Such moves would undoubtedly be in Pakistan’s long-term interest. It cannot provide adequate services for its citizens because it spends about 25 percent of its budget on defence. Pakistan Army, whose chief of staff is due to visit Washington this month, says it needs still more nuclear weapons to counter India’s conventional arsenal.
Also, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done nothing to engage Pakistan on security issues, and he also bears responsibility for current tensions. The nuclear arms race in South Asia, which is growing more intense, demands far greater international attention.
