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| By Samudranil Mukherjee |
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Thursday, June 03, 2010 (16:46:36) |
| Tags : Pakistan, India, North Korea, China |
India has a smaller nuclear arsenal compared to Pakistan |
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| New Delhi, June 3: Pakistan has already raced ahead of India with regards to cruise and ballistic missiles with assistance from North Korea and China. Now it has also more nuclear warheads than India.
As per new estimates by several nuclear watchdogs who operate on a global basis and bodies with significant amount of reputation, the number of nuclear weapons at the possession of Pakistan ranges from 70 to 90. The number for India ranges from 60 to 80. China is far ahead of both these countries - it has 240 nuclear warheads as per calculations.
The global community is afraid that the Islamic militants could gain access to this substantial arsenal at Pakistan's beck and call and thus further their ends. However, Pakistan would be adding to this phenomenal inventory in the years to come.
Pakistan already has a nuclear programme that is premised on enriched uranium and it is supposed to add to the same with a weapons programme that would be utilising plutonium. China is assisting Pakistan in building a couple of heavy water reactors at its nuclear facility in Khushab. These would be used in creating weapons grade plutonium.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, in its newest yearly report on global military expenses, has stated that the weapons grade plutonium would be going up by 7 times once the nuclear reactors are completed.
The report states that Pakistan would be able to produce 100 more nuclear arms at a short span of time. It also revealed that Shaheen and Ghaznavi, the two F-16 fighters that have been supplied by US, are supposed to be used for the purpose of ferrying the nuclear weapons.
On the other hand the nuclear program of India is largely premised on plutonium. Its main source is the PU-239 that is produced in Dhruva and Cirus, the atomic research reactors at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
Over the years India has been worried as well as vocal about the nuclear prowess and policies of Pakistan. India normally adheres to a policy of not using its nuclear weapons at first but Pakistan is yet to state its plans so that it could offset the traditional military supremacy of India.
There are plenty of debates within India regarding the presence of a proper hydrogen or thermonuclear bomb. There are a couple of experts in India who opine that thermonuclear device that had been tested as part of the Pokhran-II tests of 1998 and weighed 45 kilotons was not credible enough.
The Indian armed forces are already pretty tense regarding the absence of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine launched ballistic missiles. These are expected to act as authentic deterrents as well as second strike options against opponents.
As of now India has been able to properly operate the Prithvi Missile, which has a short range of 150 to 350 kilometres and the Agni-I that can cover distances of 700 kilometres. The Strategic Forces Command is in the process of operating the Agni-II that covers more than 2000 kilometres and the Agni-III whose range is in excess of 3500 kilometers. Agni-V, which can go distances of more than 5000 kilometres and is touted as the most ambitious project of India is expected to be tested in the first phase of 2011. (IANS) |
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