'Pak. developing n-weapons faster than India'

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MARCH 25. Pakistan has edged past India in the nuclear arms race, according to the London-based Jane's Intelligence Review.

A Pakistani English daily, The News, in a special report today quoted extensively from the prestigious military journal on the relative strengths and weaknesses of the nuclear programme embarked upon by both countries since the May 1998 nuclear tests.

The report quoted the journal as saying that the ``rhetoric'' of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Scientific Adviser to the Indian Prime Minister, after the 1998 Pokhran tests that ``weaponisation is now complete'' was not matched by reality.

``Since that time, however, internal politics, international pressures and unique security concerns have caused Delhi and Islamabad to undertake very different nuclear postures and development plans,'' the journal said. According to the Jane's Intelligence Review , India moved slowly towards developing and implementing a nuclear strategy though it had grander aspirations. On the contrary, Pakistan moved more quickly to implement effective systems and procedures for its ``more modest nuclear arsenal''.

It said the pace of development efforts could be seen in the progress each country had made in competing delivery systems that met their requirements. Procedures, tactics and doctrine for nuclear use, as well as systems to ensure effective command and control had been influenced by bureaucratic factors and each government's view on the role of the nuclear weapons.

``In all these areas, Delhi has proceeded at a slower pace, insisting on creating an original Indian system; Pakistan has more fully implemented the lessons that it has learned from the already established nuclear powers.''

The journal said India was constrained because the development of its forces and strategy were controlled by the political leadership and scientists from the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

``The political leadership in Delhi has not, however, fully thought through the specifics of nuclear use or doctrine. It does not view nuclear weapons as possessing military utility and discounts the likelihood that they would be used on the battlefield.''

In contrast, Pakistan's nuclear programme was controlled by the Army and was fully incorporated into the country's military strategy. ``Pakistan's officials believe that Islamabad's nuclear capability gives it the option of strongly supporting insurgents across the border in Kashmir.''

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Section  : International
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