India continues its propaganda against Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. In its website ‘indiandefencereview.com’ carried an article under the above caption authored by Indian army vice chief Lt. General (retd in 2015) Philip Campose. He wrote: “Pakistan is reported to have the fastest growing nuclear weapon arsenal in the world…But for a small and unstable, terrorist-infested country which is economically weak, its ever increasing capacity, quantities, range and diverseness of nuclear weaponry and delivery means have startling portents, and are a matter of grave concern for the global community.” He came out with strange logic: “The more weapons it makes, the more the possibility that its non-state actors like TTP would step up efforts to lay their hands on them.” He then bragged about Indian military having developed the ‘Cold Start Doctrine’, not realizing that Pakistan being a nuclear state would not be impressed by such threats.
Cold Start is a military doctrine developed by the Indian Armed Forces to put to use in case of a war with Pakistan. The main objective of the Cold Start Doctrine is to launch a retaliatory conventional strike against Pakistan inflicting significant harm on the Pakistan Army before any international community could intercede. The Cold Start doctrine has actually been derived from the concept of Blitzkrieg which was conceived and implemented in WW II by the famous German General Gudarian, who grouped the tanks with mobile infantry and artillery, mounted on tracked vehicles. The aim of this grouping of different elements of arms had been to provide speed, mobility and fire power to the attacking force. It was Blitzkrieg doctrine which enabled the German forces to break through the famous French Maginot Line which was considered to be impregnable and overrun Ardennes, the impassable.
The author conveniently forgets that Pakistan military is one of the best in the world, and has decimated the TTP and other militant groups’ infrastructure and network. The result of military operation in Swat in 2009 and ongoing Zarb-e-Azb that produced phenomenal results is a case in point. In fact, Pakistan achieved a lot more than the US and NATO forces could achieve during 14 years of their presence in Afghanistan. Anyhow, India and the US have been persistent in their propaganda about Pakistani nukes. In 2011, a US congressional report had highlighted important initiatives and measures taken by Pakistan, such as strengthened export control laws, improved personnel security, and international nuclear security cooperation program in recent years. But at the same time, the report raised alarm that Pakistani nukes may land into the hands of militants or radicals in the military.
Despite the fact that Pakistan was an ally with the US and the West, they had betrayed Pakistan during wars between India and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971. Declassified documents had revealed that the United States waged a secret diplomatic campaign in late 1970s to prevent Pakistan from developing nuclear weapons. Officials in President Jimmy Carter’s administration had expressed fears about Pakistan’s efforts to go nuclear, and had tried both pressure and aid incentives to seek a change in its behavior. In a secret November 1978 memo, then secretary of state Cyrus Vance had instructed US diplomats in Western Europe, Australia, Canada and Japan to warn their governments that Pakistan or its covert agents were seeking nuclear material. Vance had admitted that Pakistan was motivated by concerns over historic rival India, which had already detonated a nuclear device in 1974.”
The 1985 Pressler Amendment authorized banning most military and economic assistance to Pakistan, if an annual presidential determination that Pakistan did not possess a nuclear device was not given. In May 1998, after Pakistan detonated nuclear devices in response to Indian tests, American imposed Nuclear Test Sanctions on Pakistan. President Bill Clinton imposed additional sanctions on Pakistan, invoking the 1994 Glenn Amendment, which authorized sanctions on non-nuclear weapon states that detonate nuclear explosions, and the Symington Amendment, which prohibits military and economic assistance to any country that delivers and/or receives nuclear assistance. In October 1999, when Musharraf overthrew Nawaz government, US Congress invoked Section 508 of the Foreign Assistance Act, prohibiting all U.S. economic and military aid toward Pakistan. When the US needed Pakistan after 9/11, sanctions were lifted.
India had remained outside the international nuclear mainstream since it misused Canadian and US peaceful nuclear assistance to conduct its 1974 nuclear bomb test, refused to sign the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, and conducted additional nuclear tests in 1998. India had been cut off from most US civilian nuclear assistance since 1978 and international assistance since 1992 because of the violations. It was felt that India’s willingness to open some nuclear reactors for international inspection in return for the deal with the US was not enough, as the agreement allowed it to keep its 8 nuclear reactors off-limits. It appeared that hypocrisy, strategic interest and greed of the US and the West for approximately hundred billion dollars were victorious, and international covenants and laws were trampled, as India has always shown disregard to the United Nations Security resolutions on Kashmir, and refused to implement them.
India’s Reliance Defense Ltd had signed a manufacturing and maintenance deal worth $6 billion with Russian weapons maker Almaz-Antey. The deal’s announcement came during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow in December 2015 aimed at strengthening defense ties. Indian defense ministry sources had told local media that the government would acquire five S-400 air defense systems at an estimated cost of about $4.5 billion in a bid to modernize the country’s defenses against airborne attacks. India was the second-biggest buyer of U.S. arms last year behind Saudi Arabia, up from almost nothing five years ago. The latest purchase came in September 2015 when India’s cabinet approved a $3 billion deal for Boeing Co. military helicopters. The 22 Apache attack choppers and 15 Chinook cargo choppers comprised the biggest defense contract since Modi came to power. Earlier, India had a nuclear agreement with the US that could enhance India’s capacity to make more nukes.
