Daily Times

It is necessary to draw the international arena’s attention towards India’s growing nuclear aspirations. New Delhi’s designs could have serious implications on regional security and strategic stability. Pakistan’s former Foreign Office (FO) spokesman, Mr Nafis Zakaria has actually disclosed India’s establishment of a huge nuclear city at Chellakere, Karnataka, which is also known as the ‘Thermonuclear City’.

Although information on this subject is kept under the wraps by Indian officials, some known facts have been leaked by certain groups. In 2012, independent researchers, retired military analysts and scientists revealed there are two agencies involved in the Chellakere project. It is believed to be the largest military complex in the Subcontinent. It is used for weapons technology testing, aircraft testing and houses nuclear laboratories as well. This has allowed the Indian government to expand its nuclear research, to produce fuel for Indian nuclear reactors and to power the country’s fleet of nuclear submarines.

India’s main objective is to match China’s nuclear arsenal warhead for warhead and missile for missile. Obviously, this effects Pakistan too. The recently released Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) 2018 report states that India currently has over 100 nuclear warheads. India is also one of the top five weapons importing countries of the world.

The Chellakere project has allowed the Indian government to expand its nuclear research, to produce fuel for Indian nuclear reactors and to power the country’s fleet of nuclear submarines

The expansion of India’s thermonuclear program would position the country alongside the United States, United Kingdom, China, Russia, France, and Israel, which already have significant stockpiles.

India’s secret nuclear city reveals its desire to become a global power. According to Indian media reports, the nuclear city close to Chellakere is guarded by a security perimeter of thousands of military and paramilitary guards. India is welcome to follow its ambitions, but not at the cost of regional peace and stability. Ironically, its excuse of matching the nuclear arsenal of China and Pakistan does not cut ice. Numbers matter little in open nuclear war. Furthermore, India’s actions will only force Islamabad to increase military spending.

Despite all this, the international community — especially the west — has failed to reprimand India for its adventurism. Meanwhile, the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons continues to be a concern for the US, despite the fact that there has never been any nuclear weapons related security failure in the country. Washington has not asked New Delhi to take any safety or security measures to protect its own nuclear arsenal, as this could disrupt the planned expansion of US military sales to India.

The writer is associated with the Strategic Vision Institute and can be contacted at beenishaltaf7@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, September 5^th 2018.