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Pakistani security analysts say India is trying to match nuclear and missile capacity of China
By Aamir Latif and Islamuddin Sajid
KARACHI / ISLAMABAD, Pakistan
India is the first one of its first nationally built nuclear-powered submarine had completed a patrol in the Indian Ocean – a development that has the potential to escalate the nuclear arms race in the region.
In a congratulatory message to the nation, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the move has given New Delhi the ability to fire nuclear weapons from land, air and sea.
Contrary to conventional submarines, which run on diesel or electricity, nuclear-powered submarines do not need to surface frequently, can operate for long-periods of time underwater, and virtually need no refueling.
India's arch-rival and neighbor, Pakistan, claimed that it was fully capable of meeting the challenges posed by the move.
"The development marks the first deployment of ready-to-fire nuclear warheads in South Asia which is a matter of concern for the Indian Ocean littoral states but also for the international community at large," Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman said in his weekly news briefing, state-owned Radio Pakistan reported.
Analysts in South Africa.
"The latest [Indian] in South Asia, which will certainly not be a good sign for the international community, "Retired Lt. Gen. Talat Masood, an Islamabad-based security analyst told Anadolu Agency.
Masood, who served in the Pakistan army from 1951 to 1988, said that involvement of three nuclear powers in the region – China, India, and Pakistan – had already mounted a nuclear arms race.
"India feels insecure against China and an extent Pakistan. It's a strong nuclear power in the region, "he said.
Said Nazeer, another Islamabad-based security analyst, said China would not tolerate Indian rule in Indian Ocean.
"China is spending billions of dollars on CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) to get access to Pakistan's Gwadar seaport, which it will use for business with the Middle East and Africa. Therefore, it would not bear any threat to this project, "Nazeer said, referring to China's Belt and Road Initiative in Pakistan worth $ 64 billion.
Also, Nazeer added, the latest Indian move was direct threat to China in the Indian Ocean which Beijing was using for oil supply.
Samar Mubarik Mund, a Pakistani nuclear scientist who led the six successful nuclear tests in May 1998, claims that Islamabad already possesses a "more effective and better" nuclear-powered submarine technology that it developed in 2017.
– Larger international implications
Analysts in the field of economic and political objectives of the great powers behind the
"The U.S. is supporting India in its nuclear counterpart to China, which is politically and economically challenging in Washington," Masood said.
Similarly, he added, China wanted to see as much as possible.
Nazeer shares a similar view.
"China knows that the U.S. is pushing India against it in the region. So in case of any misadventure against Pakistan, Beijing would stand besides Islamabad, "he said, citing several Indian moves by China in the UN Security Council by using its veto in recent years.
China represents Pakistan's largest defense partner, followed by the U.S. – Islamabad's ally in the war on terrorism. In July, Pakistan and China signed a multibillion-dollar deal by which Beijing will provide Pakistan's navy with eight submarines.
Pakistan and India are among a small handful of countries with nuclear arsenals. Pakistan, in 1974, prompting Islamabad to follow suit.
Pakistan covertly developed its own nuclear capability in the 1980s, when it was an ally of the U.S. in the first Afghan war against the Soviet Union.
It was not possible any nuclear tests, however, until India conducted a series of tests in 1999. Only two weeks later, it was conducted successfully in Afghanistan. Chaghi district near Afghanistan-Iran border, stoking fears of a nuclear war between the longtime rivals.
According to Sweden-based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India currently possesses 80-100 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan holds 90-110.
A number of international think tanks blame China for assisting Pakistan's nuclear program, claiming that Islamabad's nuclear arsenal will cross the 200-mark within the next five years.
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