Pakistan Foreign Office’s claim that India is setting up a secret nuclear city has renewed concerns about the start of an arms race in the sub-continent. Though New Delhi has denied these allegations, yet Islamabad has claimed that India has accumulated a stockpile of nuclear weapons and it has been conducting tests on inter-continental missiles. The Foreign Office spokesperson has claimed that such steps are impacting the existing balance of power in the region. Such news about the proliferation of nuclear arms and capability validate the notion that the world is facing a growing threat of nuclear war among hostile states. More efforts are needed at the international level to make world leaders more conscious of dangers associated with nuclear threat.
Presently, the world is facing two-pronged threat of falling victim to destruction caused by nuclear warfare. First, certain states with nuclear capability pose a threat to world peace. Those states that fail to resolve their conflicts through dialogues can get engaged in nuclear warfare anytime: that is the perceived fear. If that happens, it will be no less than mutually agreed destruction for both sides. The example of Pakistan and India can be cited in this regard whose political and military leadership have often, in incredibly reckless machismo, talked about using the nuclear bomb. Moreover, North Korea’s nuclear defiance and Russia’s non-cooperative attitude as well as the US policy of maintaining its hegemony in the world are causes for concern. The US and Russia have a combined arsenal of 14,800 nukes, and there is an estimated total of 15,800 nuclear weapons in existence worldwide. Second, terror groups in the Middle East, Afghanistan and even home-based militants in Pakistan are a constant threat to the security of nuclear stockpiles. India is not behind in the race of acquiring more and more sophisticated nuclear technology. I
t has the capability to produce hundreds of nuclear bombs and diverting a large chunk of its budget into defence spending. Those who want peace in the region will never encourage India’s decision of making investments in nuclear weapons that are nothing short of a threat to the state’s own security. It will only give boost to the relentless sub-continental competition for nuclear arms. In such situation, the start of a nuclear war between the two neighbouring countries remains a dreadful dream not only for the masses of both countries but also for the rest of the world. Because, a nuclear war can yield an unprecedented human death toll and habitat destruction. Detonating such a large amount of nuclear weaponry would have a long-term effect on the world’s climate that may generate significant upheaval in advanced civilisations. Nobody is oblivious of the terrible consequences of using nuclear weapons. Therefore, these weapons should never be used in any case. All states should cooperate and follow nuclear agreements in letter and spirit for the sake of humanity. *