A recent report from the US Congress says that Pakistan’s “full spectrum deterrence” doctrine has increased the risk of nuclear conflict in South Asia. The doctrine is aimed to deter India from taking any military action against Pakistan. The report says that Pakistan’s warheads are estimated to be in the range of 110-130 but could be even more.
Islamabad is producing fissile material, adding to related production facilities, deploying additional nuclear weapons, and new types of delivery vehicles, says the report.
While the US has been keeping an eye on Pakistan’s nuclear program, it has done nothing concrete on the ground to stop Pakistan from taking this program forward. Pakistan is also building Tactical Nuclear Weapons to deter any potential Indian attack. Pakistan’s record in non-proliferation is poor and it has managed to avoid any action or sanctions for providing nuclear technology to other countries.
The US should be serious about persuading Pakistan to stop cross border terrorism against India. So far, India has managed to restrain itself despite continued provocations from Pakistan based terrorists. However, if India responds to a Pakistan sponsored terror attack, it could escalate to full scale conflict. Though the report praises steps taken by Pakistan for the safety of its nuclear weapons, it is no secret that Pakistan is the most insecure place for nuclear weapons.
Being the epicenter of global terrorism, these nukes remain vulnerable and could fall in hands of terrorists. In May 2015, ISIS had claimed that it could buy nuclear weapons from corrupt officials in Pakistan. The US should take notice of these developments and make efforts to cut down Pakistan’s nuclear program.
The link to the news article about the report is http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Around-130-Pak-nuclear-warheads-aimed-at-deterring-India-US-govt-report/articleshow/50664202.cms