Pakistan’s Tactical Nuclear Weapons A Deterrence Against Indian ‘Aggression,’ Says Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry


Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary, Aizaz Chaudhry, has confirmed what many already knew: Pakistan’s nuclear program is mainly a deterrent against India’s conventional and nuclear military capability.

“Our nuclear program is one dimensional: stopping Indian aggression before it happens. It is not for starting a war. It is for deterrence.”

One might not take notice of this seemingly common-sense statement, as so-called MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) has characterized the world’s nuclear arms race since the Cold War. As of 2010, the number of nuclear warheads in the world stands at approximately twenty-six thousand. These weapons are enough to destroy all life on Earth hundreds of times over and even alter the Earth’s North Pole by one quarter of an inch.

However, what is at issue in the latest press release by Pakistan is not the huge blasts that the largest nuclear bomb could release, but rather so-called “tactical nukes,” i.e. low-yield nuclear weapons, which are smaller bombs designed to obliterate bunkers and armor.

Tactical nukes have purportedly been used in the Ukraine, Yemen and Syria, as illustrated below:

To get an idea of the comparison of various nuclear bomb yields, Nuclear Darkness has created the following chart.

Comparison of Nuclear weapon yields
Low yield nuclear weapons are being seen more as a viable option in warfare as countries come to grips with unconventional warfare, i.e. terrorism, across the globe. [Image via NuclearDarkness.org]
This story is significant because, although it is taboo to consider the use of high-yield nuclear weapons, the use of tactical nukes could very well become a normal part of the war theater. Nuclear technology is in regular use in armour-piercing munitions and in armour protection, as well as for stabilizers for boats and airplanes.

According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), “precision low-yield strikes” are being considered as a regular deployment option for NATO.

“In Europe, the new guided tail kit would increase the targeting capability of the nuclear weapons assigned to NATO by giving them a target kill capability similar to that of the high-yield B61-7, a weapon that is not currently deployed in Europe.”

In a 2011 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the US commitment to NATO could be bolstered by the development and deployment of tactical nukes despite the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which prevents the further development of the high-yield variety.

The arms war between India and Pakistan, however, has some people worried as tensions between these two countries have led to both sides falling into what political scientists call a “prisoner’s dilemma,” whereby the defection of one side (starting a war) is perceived as better than being caught off guard by a first strike by the other. In simple terms, each side wants to establish that they are willing and capable of launching a first strike that would obliterate the other side before it had a chance to respond.

In fact, Pakistan blames India’s so-called “Cold Start doctrine.”

“Central to [India’s] Cold Start is a synergetic effort aimed at the destruction of Pakistan’s military potential without much collateral damage.”

World Leaders Gather For Nuclear Security Summit 2014
India has participated in meetings — formal and informal — in which the issue of its proliferation of nuclear weapons has been discussed. It is viewed by India and other states such as Iran and North Korea that a nuclear arsenal provides greater national security, particularly in dissuading both conventional and WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) attacks from hostile neighbours. India’s External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid (L) and Jordanian envoy to the UN Prince Zeid Raad al-Hussein speak on the issue in this photo at the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit. [Photo by John Thys-Pool / Getty Images]
India takes much national proide from its nuclear capabilities
Pictured here an Agni III nuclear capable missile driven through Delhi. During India’s national parade, it has become part of the pride of its national identity to be a world nuclear power. [Photo by Daniel Berehulak / Getty Images]
Shown here a nuclear capable ballistic missile being tested in India
Pakistan test fires its own nuclear capable ballistic missile in Karachi, Pakistan. As tensions persist between India and Pakistan, these tests are seen as saber rattling by both countries in an attempt to “deter” the other from launching a pre-emptive strike. [Photo by Getty / Getty Images]
Pakistan sees India’s Cold Start program, which has reduced the time it would take to deploy high yield nuclear weapons against Pakistan, as a form of aggression in a post-war era and thus has developed the capability of low yield nuclear weapons to speed up the delivery to the point of balancing India’s once superior capability.

“Our argument is, when you are a nuclear power, you do not create spaces for war. War is no more an option. We have plugged the gap India had created. We have the right to do so.”

With increasing escalation of military tensions around the world, one might wonder if either India or Pakistan has the right to increase the use of nuclear weapons — whatever their size — which cause not only collateral damage, but also years of consequences to human health.

[Photo Courtesy of the Federal government of the United States via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and Resized | CIC 0315864]

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