Nuclear Arms Race: Pakistan Has More Nuclear Weapons than India
Nuclear Arms Race: We have witnessed Pakistan's poverty throughout the past year. Despite having no bread to eat, Pakistanis often talk of fighting with India over the issue of Kashmir. Pakistan is currently devoting more attention to building its weapons.
According to the report of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2009, India had 60 to 70 nuclear bombs and Pakistan had 60 nuclear bombs.
But today, Pakistan and India both have more than twice as many nuclear bombs. As of 2022, Pakistan possessed a total of 165 nuclear weapons. By 2023, Pakistan had increased its arsenal to 170 nuclear weapons, indicating the addition of 5 new weapons within a year.
On the other hand, SIPRI states that India had 160 nuclear weapons in 2022, and within the same timeframe, India expanded its nuclear stockpile by 4, bringing the total count to 164 nuclear weapons.
According to the report of The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, now Pakistan has more nuclear weapons than India. In order to compete with Pakistan, India will now need to put in more effort to produce more nuclear weapons.
What is SIPRI?
SIPRI is an international institute based in Stockholm. SIPRI was established in 1966. SIPRI reports on armed conflict, military expenditure and arms trade, as well as data analysis for arms control.
Why did Pakistan and India reveal the details of their nuclear weapons?
On 31 December 1988, an agreement was reached between Pakistan and India. As per the terms of this agreement, Pakistan and India committed to exchanging their lists of nuclear weapons annually, specifically on January 1st of each year.
This agreement also stipulated that India and Pakistan would never strike one another's nuclear facilities. On January 27, 1991, the terms of this agreement, which were finalised in December 1988, came into effect.
On January 1st, 1992, India and Pakistan exchanged this nuclear knowledge for the first time. Since then, India and Pakistan exchange this information on January 1 of each year. This was the 30th time the data had been disclosed.
What are the policies of India and Pakistan on the use of nuclear weapons?
India announced its "No First Use" nuclear policy in 1999. India will never use nuclear weapons first, according to its nuclear doctrine. India will use its nuclear weapons only in the event of a nuclear attack.
Pakistan doesn't have any nuclear policy. The decision to use nuclear weapons depends on the Pakistani high command, when and under what circumstances they use them. The "No First Use" nuclear policy was rejected by Pakistan's foreign minister in 1999, who asserted that all required weapons might be used at any time to ensure Pakistan's security.
Has there ever been a situation of nuclear war between Pakistan and India?
The nuclear weapons used by Pakistan during the 1999 Kargil war were made public in 2002. CIA analyst Bruce Riedel stated that American satellite photographs captured during the conflict confirmed Pakistan's placement of nuclear weapons with the intention to target India.
Bruce Riedel further explained that, in response to this alarming situation, the United States swiftly intervened through diplomatic channels to prevent Pakistan from utilizing the nuclear weapons.
