National 7 (Spotlight Weekly)

India's Nuclear Doctrine

By Jamshed Ayaz Khan, Maj. Gen. (Retd.)

Like the bully who used to live a couple of blocks away from our home and could get away with the worst — so can India. While earlier it was the massacre at Gujarat now it is India's Nuclear Doctrine.

The reasons may be many; it could be that some are afraid of the bully, while in some other cases, he is kept on one side in order to make use of him at an 'opportune' moment to one's own advantage. Yet others may find the spendthrift nature of the bully useful. While the bullyboy's role was restricted to our neighborhood, India seeks a global role.

While Pakistan, time and again, is reminded of fulfilling its promise of "stopping cross-border terrorism" and while Kashmiris' right of self-determination has been equated to terrorism — yes because the bully says so — India can get away with anything even its questionable Nuclear Doctrine and its purchase of every conceivable aggressive weapon of mass destruction. At best the questioning by the international community is lukewarm — normally the West starts looking the other way — and at worst, the West joins in by offering better and more sophisticated weapons to India.

Now what is actually the much-trumpeted India's Nuclear Doctrine? The government of India recently revealed that a two-layered structure, called the Nuclear Command Authority had been formed and this authority was responsible for the management of nuclear weapons.

NCA comprises a 'Political Council' chaired by the Prime Minister and this, they say, is the sole body which can authorize the use of Nuclear Weapons. The Executive Council, chaired by the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister, would provide inputs for decision-making by the NCA and his Council would also execute the decisions of the Political Council. An appointment of Commader-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command was also announced.

A new interesting element has been introduced in its doctrine of "No First Use". While earlier, to show its "non-violent" nature, India was categorical in its 'No First Use Policy', now India says that, "In the event of a major attack against India, it will retain the option of retaliating with nuclear weapons".

That means 'No First Use' is really out, India has now made it more ambiguous. Whenever they decide to use Nuclear Weapons against a State, they could just say that State X was planning to launch a major biological or chemical attack on India — the theory of unilateral pre-emptive strike formula could also be commissioned. United States — the only Super Power, has retained a similar option to prevent nations with chemical and biological weapons from assuming that the use of these weapons of mass destruction will not invite a nuclear response. India has taken out this part from USA's doctrine.

India's Nuclear Doctrine does not tell all. Missing is the actual composition of the NCA, at its political and executive levels. The alternate "chain of command" that India talks about, has also not been cleared.

Moreover when India talks about 'Building and Maintaining a credible minimum deterrent', it does not mention that the Minimum Deterrence will be against Pakistan or China — obviously it will have to be different if it is against China rather than Pakistan, India thus remains beautifully vague and to the West India will say "Deterrence has to be vague" and the West will leave it that that.

To execute this Nuclear Doctrine, India has now moved to acquire the necessary weapons to launch this "Minimum Deterrence", India signed a 1.9 billion (UK) pound deal with Russia to lease four long range nuclear bombers TU22M3 and two nuclear capable submarines. In this agreement with Russia, Russia will also throw in an ageing aircraft carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov, for free. India also agreed to pay Russia about 370 million (UK) pounds to re-fit this aircraft carrier.

In the meanwhile, France has also agreed to develop submarines jointly with India and UK continues to attempt to sell 66 Hawk jet trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force. The list that others plan to offer to India, has yet to be finalized.

All this purchase of armaments by India is obviously at the cost of poverty, backwardness and hunger. But the poor, the Dalit, do not matter or do they? It is only anti-nuclear campaigners like Praful Bidwai of the Coalition of Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) who have come out against these developments. Praful Bidwai said, "It is terrible, we are just going into a vortex that steps up the nuclear and missiles arms race. They are actually moving towards a high level of readiness to use nuclear weapons. You are not talking about deterrence."

Yet! The bully round the block can get away with anything including State Terrorism in Kashmir or Gujarat. This is a new form of Mahatma Gandhi's "Non-violence". The poverty and backwardness of South Asia may go to hell.

As for Pakistan, the West would never have "understood" our deterrence capability if we had not carried out the nuclear experiment. Our organizational doctrine draft had been prepared by end of the same year and NCA was established on ground by next year (1999). The NCA was established basically for the following two reasons:

a. For own operational and administrative reasons.

b. For assurance to the "world" that Nuclear Assets of Pakistan were in 'safe hands'.

Decision making at the NCA of Pakistan is done by the "Politico-Military leadership" duly advised by the scientists. While the President/Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces is the Chairman of Nuclear Command Authority, the Prime Minister is the Vice Chairman. Under the Chairman and Vice Chairman, there are two committees i.e. Employment Control Committee and the Development Control Committee.

The Employment Control Committee is the Committee which does the Planning and the "Decision Making" and has as its head a Deputy Chairman, which is the Foreign Minister. With him, as members, are Ministers of Defence, Finance and Interior; the other members being CJCSC, Service Chiefs and VCOAS.

The other Committee, Development Control Committee has at its head a Deputy Chairman who in this case is CJCSC. Members being Service Chiefs, VCOAS and scientists. The task of this Committee is the implementation of decisions of the Employment Control Committee. Secretariat of NCA is the Strategic Plans Division.

Pakistan believes in maintaining a Minimum Credible Deterrence. Pakistan is clear that our Deterrence is against INDIA — we do not have any other country, which is hostile to Pakistan. Pakistan is not in an arms race with anyone but would "defend Pakistan's sovereignty".

Pakistan would continue to exercise control on export of nuclear and missile related materials and technologies and will observe a moratorium on nuclear tests.

Pakistan does not believe in the use of Nuclear weapons, in fact, does not believe in War to solve problems — that is why the offer of "No War Pact", and "Nuclear Free Zone" in South Asia was made by Pakistan. Pakistan believes in "Dialogue".

The stories being alleged about Pakistan's association with China and North Korea and about offer of our scientists to Iraq, are just stories and too silly to deserve any comments. Assistance that India received from Russia, Israel and the West while it developed its nuclear, missile, space and high-grade conventional technologies have been conveniently forgotten.

Pakistan now has to be more aggressive, more direct and louder about policies of our neighbor and of course, without being apologetic. We have, however, to ensure that we enlarge our interaction with the West as well as the East, with Muslims as well as others including Indian public, their political parties and Indians like Praful Bidwai and Subramaniam Swamy, so that all understand our point of view.

We have to work on this very deliberately and succinctly. We do not want war, we do not interfere in the affairs of other states, we are against terrorism but we will defend our sovereignty and wish that other nations would also respect it. The world will, Inshallah, understand.

(The writer is President, Institute of Regional Studies, Islamabad)