***Kidwai said that nuclear buildup in South Asia "has made war as an instrument of policy almost unthinkable."*** [Emphasis added. Within a year of both the neighbouring countries going openly nuclear in May 1998 - Pakistan quickly following India in response, the Kargil War ensued. And, by the end of 2001, we had the Operation Parakram involving the largest peacetime mobilsations across the the border - eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation, for about a year. On both the occasions threats of nuclear strikes were exchanged. And, both were eventually diffused through external interventions.]
I/II. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/shaheen-3-missile-to-cover-indian-second-strike-from-andaman-former-head-of-pakistans-nuclear-weapons/99/ NATION TUESDAY, MAR 24, 2015 Shaheen-3 missile to cover Indian second strike from Andaman: Lt General Khalid Kidwai A Pakistani Shaheen II missile is displayed during the Pakistan National Day parade in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, March 23, 2015. (Source: AP Photo) Written by Sushant Singh | New Delhi | Updated: March 24, 2015 5:58 am Shaheen-3, Khalid Kidwai, Nuclear capability, India, Pakistan, Andaman and Nicobar Island, Nuclear weapon, NSG, Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference, US, SPD, Nuclear program, ***Pakistan has developed the 2,750 km range Shaheen-3 missile to prevent India from gaining a second-strike nuclear capability from Andaman and Nicobar islands, said Lt General (retd) Khalid Kidwai, former head of Pakistan's nuclear weapons division.*** [Emphasis added.] Addressing the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference 2015 in Washington DC, Kidwai said one sided policies of the United States favouring India - like the NSG exemption for the nuclear deal - have been a destabilizing factor for South Asia. These US policies are unhelpful and unacceptable to Pakistan, he said. RELATED Pakistan Tests Nuclear-Capable Hatf-IV Missile With 900 Km Range Pak Tests Nuclear-Capable Hatf-III Ballistic Missile We Re Not Racing Anywhere,Pakistan Kidwai is currently advisor to Pakistan's National Command Authority (NCA) and was the pioneer Director General of Pakistan's Strategic Plans Division (SPD), which he headed for an unprecedented 15 years till December 2013 - with an unheard of 12 extensions after his retirement from the army. As the head of SPD, Kidwai is credited with conceiving, articulating and executing Pakistan's nuclear policy and deterrence doctrines into a tangible and robust nuclear force structure. ***Kidwai said that Pakistan's nuclear program isn't open-ended and it has been designed to deter India*** [emphasis added]. In response to a question on the number of nuclear bombs that will be enough for Pakistan, he refused to divulge the exact numbers by suggesting that Pakistan follows the policy of nuclear ambiguity and revealing numbers would be against it. Kidwai added that Pakistan had already moved from minimumdeterrence to full spectrum deterrence and the current numbers will be more or less fine for the next 10-15 years. ***As per the estimates of Arms Control Association, Pakistan currently has between 100 to 120 nuclear warheads as compared to India's 90-110 warheads*** [emphasis added]. ***Kidwai said that nuclear buildup in South Asia "has made war as an instrument of policy almost unthinkable."*** [Emphasis added. Within a year of both the neighbouring countries going openly nuclear in May 1998 - Pakistan quickly following India in response, the Kargil War ensued. And, by the end of 2001, we had the Operation Parakram involving the largest peacetime mobilsations across the the border - eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation, for about a year. On both the occasions threats of nuclear strikes were exchanged. And, both were eventually diffused through external interventions.] He also defended Pakistan's quest for Nasr shoot-and-scoot missile system by arguing that introducing a variety of tactical nuclear weapons has deterred India's conventional capability. He said that Pakistan had developed these weapons in response to India's Cold Start strategy. As these tactical nuclear weapons are mounted on short distance missiles, their command and control is delegated to lower levels in the military. This delegation, with lesser checks and balances, raises concerns about the safety and security of the nuclear warheads. Kidwai revealed that operation control of nuclear weapons is with the SPD and NCA although some day to day delegation has been made to the three defence services. Kidwai questioned that when the Indian space program with ICBM potential doesn't trouble anybody, why does the development of a Shaheen-3 missile by Pakistan bother everyone. "Why aren't India's nukes and missiles troublesome?," he asked. ***Kidwai also revealed that Pakistan's sea-based second strike capability is a "work in progress" and will come into play in the next few years. Ruling out nuclear submarines for Pakistan, he said "I won't say nuclear submarines, but if broadly talking about a second-strike capability for which submarines are a platform, yes."*** [Emphasis added.] ***India operates a nuclear submarine, INS Chakra and is currently testing another indigenously developed nuclear submarine, INS Arihant.*** [Emphasis added.] On Pakistan Army's connections with extremist militant groups, Kidwai said that these issues are remnants of historical superpower games in South Asia. "To say that I should tell my colleagues not to get involved is too simplistic and naive, it is the historic reality which dictates this need," Kidwai argued. II. http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-36306-2750-km-range-Shaheen-III-missile-test-fired 2,750-km range Shaheen-III missile test-fired All of India has come in its range, say defence analysts Muhammad Anis Tuesday, March 10, 2015 RAWALPINDI: Pakistan on Monday conducted a successful test launch of surface-to surface-ballistic missile Shaheen-III, which is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 2,750 kilometres. According to a defence analyst, all of India has come in the range of the Shaheen-III missile, which has the capability of carrying warheads up to a 2,750 kilometer- range. The test launch was aimed at validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system at the maximum range. The successful launch, with its impact point in the Arabian Sea, was witnessed by senior officers from the Strategic Plans Division, strategic forces, scientists and engineers of strategic organisations. President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appreciated the successful test fire of surface-to-surface missile and congratulated the scientists and engineers on their outstanding achievement. Director General Strategic Plans Division, Lieutenant General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, while congratulating scientists and engineers on achieving yet another milestone of historic significance, termed it a major step towards strengthening Pakistan's deterrence capability. He appreciated the technical prowess, dedication and commitment of scientists who had contributed wholeheartedly to make the launch a success. He showed his full confidence in the Strategic Command and Control System and the strategic forces' capability to safeguard the security of the motherland against any aggression. APP adds: Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain has congratulated the scientists and engineers on successfully launching the Shaheen-III surface-to-surface ballistic missile. He said that the test fire validates the design and technical parameters of the weapon and also enhances the capability and deterrence capacity of Pakistan.Mumtaz Alvi adds: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Central Information Secretary Dr Shireen Mazari on Monday welcomed the successful test of the Shaheen-III surface-to-surface missile with an expanded range of 2,750 kms. She noted this expanded range has now put all Indian strategic centres within range and reasserts deterrence after the Indo-US-Israeli Ballistic Missile Defence Cooperation (BMD)."India's BMD programme threatened deterrence in the Sub-continent and a natural fallout has been a higher level of nuclear weapons and delivery systems in the region. Why the US would deliberately encourage this is mind boggling," Mazari stated in a statement here. She said unlike India's expansive nuclear and missile programme ranging from SRBMs to ICBMs and BMD with a space-based component, Pakistan has focused on SRBMs and MRBMs, improving CEPs, range, payloads and reliability. Mazari pointed out that Pakistan had also succeeded in developing a cruise missile as well as in miniaturisation, as reflected in the Nasr missile, so it is moving rapidly to the second strike capability, which will bolster and stabilise deterrence in the Sub-continent. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
