The Hindu : N-risk reduction measures proposed for India, Pak.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2002

National

National

N-risk reduction measures proposed for India, Pak.

New Delhi June 18. Alarmed by the recent war rhetoric in the subcontinent, Movement in India for Nuclear Disarmament (MIND), a peace group, today proposed a draft of Nuclear Risk Reduction Measures (NRRMs), asking India and Pakistan to immediately de-alert their weapon systems to save the region from an accidental nuclear conflagration.

The NRRMs proposed by MIND include non-deployment of nuclear weapons, keeping nuclear warheads separated from delivery vehicles and de-assembling bombs by removing the nuclear core.

``We must be clear about the limitations of NRRMs. We can try and make South Asia less unsafe, but we cannot make it nuclear-safe except by making it nuclear-free. NRRMs should only be seen as a transitory measure to complete disarmament,'' MIND founder-member, Achin Vinaik, told a press conference.

Apart from the deliberate use of nuclear weapons by one side or the other, MIND identified four potential risks — miscalculation, unauthorised use, accidents and panic behaviour.

``Cold War history tells us that these risks are considerable,'' said Satyajit Rath, another MIND member. ``For instance between 1977 and 1984 alone, there were 20,000 false alarms in the United States and former Soviet Union of which 1,000 were serious enough to put bombers and missiles on full alert... The India-Pakistan situation is much worse.''

Mr. Vinaik said the main limitation of NRRM in the sub-continental milieu is the political context with the high level of mistrust between the two neighbours. ``The best guarantee for such CBMs to be effective is to promote greater trust.''

``There is always a trade-off between the demands of safety and the demands of having an active nuclear deterrent system. Actually security through deterrence is an illusion,'' he said.

MIND suggested that India and Pakistan strive to secure an agreement to reciprocate such safety measures and establish procedures to confirm that each side is doing what it is supposed to do. It also demanded that India repudiate the draft nuclear doctrine, which aims to develop tactical nuclear weapons and replace the 1962 Atomic Energy Act to make the civilian nuclear sector more transparent and accountable to Parliament. — UNI

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National