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Growing Indian Strength Could Lead Pakistan to Increased Reliance on Nuclear Weapons
Arms control experts are concerned that a growing disparity between India’s conventional military forces and those of its South Asian rival Pakistan will lead Islamabad to become increasingly reliant on its nuclear arsenal, the Wall Street Journal reported today (see GSN, Oct. 16). Within the next five years, Israeli, Russian and U.S. defense companies are expected to bid for a variety of military contracts with India worth up to $10 billion, according to the Journal. U.S. Ambassador to India Robert Blackwell said India and the United States are ready for “far more ambitious interaction in this field,” including possible Indian purchases of U.S. defensive WMD equipment. India has denied, however, that the planned arms purchases are meant to intimidate Pakistan. “We’re not in an arms race with Pakistan,” a senior Indian aide said. Indian and Pakistani defense analysts have said, however, that Pakistan’s economic situation will make it difficult for it to keep up with India’s military spending. Already, Pakistan is spending more than a quarter of its budget on defense, the Journal reported. “Pakistan will either keep up by spending on conventional arms or become dependent on its nuclear arsenal. … Nuclear weapons will become their answer for everything,” said P.R. Chari, a research professor at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies in New Delhi. Senior Pakistani diplomat Maleeha Lodhi warned that the increasing disparity between the two countries’ militaries could raise serious problems. India’s increasing military forces “poses new security challenges to Pakistan, which already is confronted with an asymmetry in air power with India,” Lodhi said. “This will lead to a strategic disaster,” Lodhi added (Solomon/Hussain, Wall Street Journal, Oct. 22).
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