WASHINGTON: Pakistan 's tactical nuclear- weapons programme is not only dangerous for safety and security of the region, but also it is the surest route to escalating conventional war to the nuclear level, according to a report by an American think-tank.In its report 'Asia in the Second Nuclear Age ', the Atlantic Council , however, said Pakistan does not appear to have operationalised its tactical nuclear-warfare plans yet. "Pakistan's tactical nuclear-weapons programme is dangerous for safety and security reasons, and also because it is the surest route to escalating conventional war to the nuclear level. However, Pakistan does not appear to have operationalised its tactical nuclear-warfare plans yet," said the report released this month.The greatest threat in the region comes not from the development of large, sophisticated, and diversified nuclear arsenals, but from the continued instability of the institutions guarding them. "It is the only nuclear power among the three that is actually modernizing, i.e., replacing aging delivery systems with newer and better designs," the report said. "Thus far, the evidence suggests that Chinese and Indian explorations of multiple-reentry vehicle technologies are aimed at reinforcing deterrence through the fielding of more robust second-strike capabilities," the report said.It said that this conclusion is also supported by the fact that neither India nor China has, nor is developing, the ancillary intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems necessary to execute splendid first-strike attacks.

Source: Economic Times November 26, 2017 09:11 UTC