Report says Pakistan possesses 120 nuclear warheads compared with India’s 110
An infographic created by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists reveals that Pakistan is ahead of India in the nuclear arms race by 10 atomic weapons. While India has 110 atomic weapons, Pakistan possesses 120.
The infographic illustrates the history of nuclear arms procurement and testing in both countries since they first tested nuclear weapons just three weeks apart in 1998.
According to the Nuclear Notebook, the testing of nuclear weapons for the very first time by both countries in the late nineties displayed a failure on the part of the international community to fully commit itself to the regulation and control of atomic weapons ─ despite a general global trend towards the non-proliferation of these weapons.
The nuclear disarmament movement started gaining momentum in 1987, at which time the United States and Soviet Union had signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty prohibiting the procurement and deployment of intermediate and shorter-range nuclear weapons with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km.
However, in 1998 when Pakistan and India both tested their first nuclear weapons, the United States (US) and Soviet Union were still poor role models as both were in possession of 10,732 and 14,368 weapons respectively at the time.
The poor adherence to non-proliferation treaties is evident when one recalls that the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) started taking notice of issues related to atomic energy in 1946, passing the First GA Resolution. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was formed in 1957 to “ensure safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology”, according to UNODA.
The multilateral Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons entered into force on Mar 5, 1970 and was followed by the Partial Test Ban Treaty (1963) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (1996), the latter of which has yet to be implemented despite being signed in the mid-nineties.
The global proliferation of warhead stockpiles, however, showed an increasing trend up until 1986 when global stockpiles rivalled 64,099 weapons. The US and Soviet Union were in possession of 23,317 and 40,159 warheads respectively.
Pakistan has, since 2002, remained at least 10 weapons ahead of India in the arms race. The last time Pakistan’s arms rivaled or were less than those possessed by India was in 1999 when both countries owned eight atomic weapons each.
These developments, on the back of differentiated treatment of South Asia’s two nuclear powers, as well as India’s refusal to engage with Pakistan on nuclear CBMs and continued buildup of conventional military weapons, compelled Pakistan to evolve a response. It did this by enunciating the doctrine of full spectrum deterrence, which included development of tactical nuclear weapons aimed at restoring the strategic balance and re-establishing stable deterrence.
Comments are closed.