Safe nukes

This refers to the article, ‘Dangerous provocations’ (January 16) by Rizwan Asghar. The writer has concluded his article by saying, “Nuclear weapons must be eliminated before they eliminate us.”
Contrary to this, our nuclear arms provide us the necessary safety cover against a much bigger and more resourceful India whose heavy outlay on conventional weapons we just can’t afford to match. It is the fear of our nuclear retaliation and the resulting colossal catastrophe that deter India from adventurism beyond a certain point.
S R H Hashmi
Karachi