Pakistan Accuses India of Developing Nuclear Submarines
US Navy’s newest and most advanced nuclear-powered attack submarine and the lead ship of its class, PCU Virginia (SSN 774) is moved outdoors for the first time at the General Dynamics Electric shipyard.
Karachi, Pakistan, 14 Rabiul Awwal 1438/14 December 2016 (MINA) – Pakistan has accused its longtime rival India of developing nuclear submarines, claiming the development had forced Pakistan to remain on alert, Anadolu Agency reported.
Pakistan’s Additional Foreign Secretary Tasnim Aslam made the rare claim while addressing a seminar in Islamabad on Tuesday, insisting New Delhi was building its “atomic stockpile day by day.”
“In these circumstances, Pakistan has no option but to keep itself ready for defense by maintaining minimum deterrence,” Aslam was quoted as saying by state-run Radio Pakistan.
The claim came a day after Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Pakistan would soon be broken into 10 pieces “if cross-border terrorism does not come to an end” – a reference to New Delhi’s stance on Islamabad’s alleged support to pro-independence militants in Indian-held Kashmir.
Hostilities between the two arch-rivals have increased since India accused Pakistan of having links to gunmen who killed 19 soldiers in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) last September.
Pakistan has denied the charge while itself accusing India of repressing pro-independence protests that started in the disputed Himalayan region in July, since when more than 100 Kashmiri civilians have been shot dead by Indian forces and thousands injured.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full.
The two countries have fought three wars since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir.
Pakistan and India are among a small handful countries with nuclear arsenals. India joined the nuclear club long before Pakistan, in 1974, prompting Islamabad to follow suit.
According to the Sweden-based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India currently possesses between 80 and 100 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan holds between 90 and 110. (T/R07/R01)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
