Even as world powers set about translating their framework agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme into a definitive deal by June-end, the influential New York Times strongly believes that soon thereafter, they would need to turn their attention to Pakistan’s relentless expansion of its nuclear arsenal.
“Pakistan, with the world’s fastest-growing nuclear arsenal, is unquestionably the biggest concern, one reinforced by several recent developments,” the paper has said in an editorial comment.
In the wake of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s approval last week of a $5 billion deal to purchase eight diesel-electric submarines from China that could be equipped with nuclear missiles, The Times saw a clear push by the Pakistani Army.
Coming on top of Pakistan’s test-firing last month of a ballistic missile reportedly capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to any part of India and its development of short-range tactical nuclear weapons, the paper commented: “These investments reflect the Pakistani Army’s continuing obsession with India as the enemy, a rationale that allows the generals to maintain maximum power over the government and demand maximum national resources.”
“Pakistan now has an arsenal of as many as 120 nuclear weapons and is expected to triple that in a decade,” it said, adding: “An increase of that size makes no sense, especially since India’s nuclear arsenal, estimated at about 110 weapons, is growing more slowly.”
The NYT went on to comment that while India as a vibrant democracy is focused on becoming a regional economic and political power, Pakistan is wasting billions of dollars that ought to be spent better on health, education and jobs for its people.
“Pakistan has sunk deeper into chaos, threatened by economic collapse, the weakening of political institutions and, most of all, a Taliban insurgency that aims to bring down the state,” the paper said and spoke of the futility of its induction of advanced military equipment.
The troubling aspect in all this is “the Pakistani Army has become increasingly dependent on the nuclear arsenal because Pakistan cannot match the size and sophistication of India’s conventional forces”, The Times noted.