Pakistan nuclear upgrade worries India

Pakistan nuclear upgrade worries India

Pakistan will soon be able to strike every city in India with nuclear weapons developed with China's help, senior Indian defense advisers say.

Pakistan's new capability will alter the military balance in the region by giving it a "second strike" capability, the advisers told the Sunday Times of London.

The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security said last week that Pakistan was constructing a heavy-water nuclear reactor that could produce more than 400 pounds of weapons-grade plutonium a year -- enough to make 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year.

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Is there any part of the world not engaged in escalation? :shk:

Originally posted by loam

Pakistan nuclear upgrade worries India


Pakistan's new capability will alter the military balance in the region by giving it a "second strike" capability, the advisers told the Sunday Times of London.


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These are worrying times but isn't a second strike weapon a defensive one ,i.e one that can be fired after you've been attacked? Imay be wrong though.

Yes..
Although its odd because India has a no-first-use policy and a total-retaliation policy so this 2nd strike may actually mean 3rd strike?

Anyways the more nukes you have,the better chances to get a few off even when you're a radioactive wasteland.
If Pakistan has the capability to produce enough fissile materials for upto 40-50 nukes (yields must be under 10kT) then this is a whopping increase from their previous capability to produce only 2-3 a year.

Pak envoy to the US confirms military use of new nuclear reactor:

No big Pakistan nuclear build-up, envoy says: American press WASHINGTON, Aug 5 (AFP) A new Pakistani nuclear reactor could be used for "military purposes" as well as for civilian power needs but will not lead to a massive increase in the country's nuclear arsenal, according to Pakistan's new Ambassador, Mahmud Ali Durrani, The Washington Times reported Saturday. He dismissed a private Washington-based think tank's report on the reactor under construction at the Khushab nuclear complex as "grossly exaggerated", but declined to give production figures for the new plant, the newspaper said. On the Indo-US nuclear pact, he said "We know your administration is very keen for this deal, but we also don't want to see an imbalance with India that we would have to match"
Pakistan News Source

Arab News Source

So there you have it; from the horse's mouth so to say.
However the envoy has down-played speculations that the new reactor will increase Pakistan's N-weapon productivity exponentially(internationally speculated at 2-3 warheads per year to 40-50 per year).

Anybody for western/US/international hypocracy vis-a-vis Iran and Pakistan?

Is there any part of the world not engaged in escalation? :shk:

hmm..NOPE!