West’s sneering ambiance for nuclear mainstreaming

According to Indian nuclear experts, their country’s decision to build a nuclear force was taken only in the late 1980s, a barefaced lie, especially after it had become clear to them that Pakistan, with Chinese technological assistance, had made advances in the nuclear weapons programme. Despite the blatant lie, this particular statement specifies that India has built its nuclear empire categorically to intimidate and inundate Pakistan because Indian’s widely proclaimed minimum level of credible deterrence against mighty China is unlikely to yield desired result.
After not very long pause since nuclear detonations, India once again startled the world by resuming nuclear ambitions in the name of overcoming its energy deficit. India has relentlessly been approaching NSG and nuclear or non-nuclear club countries including Canada, Australia, Japan and Israel in addition to its genuine strategic partner America, for not only augmenting country’s nuclear prowess but to pave the way for its inclusion in nuclear mainstream, that is Nuclear Club and Nuclear Supply Group.
India has currently attained the status of largest and fastest growing nuclear arsenal accumulating country. In this milieu, India though has shrouded its real doctrine under secrecy, is also in the process of revamping and justifying its tall tale nuclear doctrine under Hindu extremist Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor of PM Modi another radical who believes in sowing dreams of Hindu ascendancy known as Hindutwa, rather than just seeing dreams. A large, complex and potentially open-ended nuclear arsenal is being gathered to intimidate regional countries like Pakistan and China at the behest of global powers mainly led by the US.
Laundry list of India’s ambitions does not end here because its efforts alongside the objective of checkmating China as well as terrorising Pakistan are to ultimately attain UNSC membership by all means including cajoling, bribing and blackmailing global powers as well as all those who can lend a hand to Mr. Modi’s government to fulfill the dreams.
On the other hand Pakistan, another non-nuclear club member country exactly like India, is being treated discriminately once it demands for an equal treatment with regard to provision of civil nuclear technology to trounce daunting energy crisis. Indian ambitions, evidently triggered by global powers for attaining their strategic objectives in South Asia, that are converging with India, cannot be brought to fruition without taking Pakistan’s nuclear demeanor into account and resolving core geopolitical issues including nuclear flashpoint, Kashmir. Therefore, India relentlessly lobbies against strategic assets of Pakistan through well-wishers like Toby Dalton and Michael Krepon, who are known critics of Pakistan’s nuclear programme and associated with Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Stimson Centre, Washington, USA.
Toby Dalton and Michael Krepon, in a recent article coauthored and published in Daily Dawn of August 27, 2015 under the title of ‘Nuclear mainstream’ have proposed certain nuclear initiatives that are neither acceptable nor realistic in prevalent tense environment but aimed at completely impairing Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence on the scheming persuasion of India. The initiatives proposed by the two writers, by any meaning are also tell-tales of open support to India by the west in depriving Pakistan from its strategic assets in an environment when India has already revamped its nuclear doctrine and conventional power from defensive to blatant offensive attitude against Pakistan, remember not against China.
This renewed posture of India under radicalised government of BJP is clearly manifested from the continuous violation of ceasefire on LoC as well as working boundary and sabotaging the NSA level talks under flimsy pretexts primarily to deprive Kashmiris from their just and valid right of self-determination acknowledged by the UN.
The American writers, Toby Dalton and Michael Krepon, have proposed five initiatives for enabling Pakistan join nuclear mainstream. Proposed initiatives include; Shifting declaratory policy from ‘full spectrum’ to ‘strategic’ deterrence, Commit to a recessed deterrence posture and limit production of short-range delivery vehicles and tactical nuclear weapons, Lift Pakistan’s veto on FMCT negotiations and reduce or stop fissile material production, Separate civilian and military nuclear facilities and lastly Sign the CTBT without waiting for India. Interestingly such ‘viable and favourable for Pakistan’ have never been offered to Israel that is a constant danger to several countries of region and extra region. All these proposals clearly are indicative of giving India a safe opportunity undo Pakistan or at least contain China from reaching to the world for overshadowing of competing economies that are fearful of China’s complete domination.
Pakistan was constrained to develop its nuclear and missile programme chiefly as a result of Indian arrogance to annihilate rest of Pakistan after 1971 debacle. If at all it is true perception that Pakistan’s nuclear policy is full spectrum rather than strategic deterrence, then it is because of Pakistan’s threat calculus that is under constant pressure from India that has apparently in a firm mood to get foothold in Afghanistan to increase tremendous volatility on western borders alongside Pakistan’s eastern side. Until India halts its ambitious weapons race, Pakistan would not be able to down its tactical level guards. India and Israel must abide by the FMCT; CTBT and NPT protocols to enable Pakistan follow the suite.
Pakistan’s civil and military facilities are already working independently except for physical security of all important locations. India a considered a bigger power and at times recommended for higher stature at global arena, here it would be more sensible to ask India and Israel to sign CTBT rather asking Pakistan to take lead.
Bottom line suggests that if single issue of Kashmir is resolved either bilaterally or under third party mediation or through existing UN resolutions, then nuclear mainstreaming for both countries will be easier.