garima
January 16th, 2003, 09:01 PM
By a strange coincidence a number of issues and statements relating to nuclear weapons have surfaced recently helping to bring this rather important subject under the spotlight. Drawing some of the flak which was until then singularly focused on Iraq -- which the United States is bent on bringing to justice for secretly producing weapons of mass destruction -- was North Korea, for its nuclear weapons capability.
While the world was watching these developments came the rather brazen and somewhat irresponsible declaration from General Pervez Musharraf that he was planning the use of nuclear weapons if India had launched an attack across the international border last year. When his cavalier statement produced howls of disbelief and anger across the world, the general's regular trouble-shooters sprang into action claiming that their boss had meant no such thing. To top the recent nuclear stories was the Indian government's announcement of setting up the Strategic Weapons Command to bring India's nuclear response in the case of any eventuality under one umbrella.
It is just as well that the very crucial issue of nuclear weapons has brought about a much needed national debate.
And what does one make of Musharraf's bragging? The worst mistake India can make is not to take him seriously. That was the mistake India made in the eighties when our scientists were telling our political leaders that Pakistan was 'ten years behind us' in its nuclear programme. The shock came when they exploded their nuclear weapons just a few days after ours. The general may like to boast a little from time to time but we are at least quite certain that he has a firm control over his weapons.
Both India and Pakistan have had their day in the sun. Both have bragged enough about how their weapons are better than their adversary's and how the other side will be totally annihilated should they dare to start a nuclear war.
There will be no winners in a nuclear exchange. It will set both countries back a century. The sensible thing for the leaders of both nations is to eschew bragging and think about how to prevent a nuclear war.
While the world was watching these developments came the rather brazen and somewhat irresponsible declaration from General Pervez Musharraf that he was planning the use of nuclear weapons if India had launched an attack across the international border last year. When his cavalier statement produced howls of disbelief and anger across the world, the general's regular trouble-shooters sprang into action claiming that their boss had meant no such thing. To top the recent nuclear stories was the Indian government's announcement of setting up the Strategic Weapons Command to bring India's nuclear response in the case of any eventuality under one umbrella.
It is just as well that the very crucial issue of nuclear weapons has brought about a much needed national debate.
And what does one make of Musharraf's bragging? The worst mistake India can make is not to take him seriously. That was the mistake India made in the eighties when our scientists were telling our political leaders that Pakistan was 'ten years behind us' in its nuclear programme. The shock came when they exploded their nuclear weapons just a few days after ours. The general may like to boast a little from time to time but we are at least quite certain that he has a firm control over his weapons.
Both India and Pakistan have had their day in the sun. Both have bragged enough about how their weapons are better than their adversary's and how the other side will be totally annihilated should they dare to start a nuclear war.
There will be no winners in a nuclear exchange. It will set both countries back a century. The sensible thing for the leaders of both nations is to eschew bragging and think about how to prevent a nuclear war.