Pakistan once again took shelter under India to reject America’s call to reduce or cap its nuclear weapons arsenal, believed to be the fastest growing in the world. Pakistan has took the stand to justify its refusal as the “strategic and conventional imbalance with India” as the topmost security threat to it. India has called Pakistan to maintain sanctity of the Line of Control (LoC). Pakistan has always taken the stand that terrorism is something their own concern. It is overflow of terrorism from Afghanistan that becomes the top security concern for it. Citing the example of the US and Russia which are working to further reduce their nuclear arsenals, Secretary of State John Kerry had asked Pakistan on Tuesday to understand this reality and review its nuclear policy. Pakistan has the fastest growing stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world. Pakistan also ruled out America’s desire that Pakistan reduce or cap its fast expanding nuclear weapons arsenal and put the onus for it on India. The nuclear and non-proliferation issue is among the six topics that was discussed during the sixth US-Pak Strategic Dialogue co-chaired by Kerry and Aziz in Washington on Monday. It has taken the stand that it is India which is expanding its nuclear arsenal at a much faster rate than them. India has the stand of deterrence. The concept of deterrence is a dynamic one. Deterrence has to be effective and Pakistan deterrence is India-centric. For Pakistan terrorism is secondary and comes only after nuclear stand viz-a-viz India. The subcontinent remains among the most dangerous corners of the world, and continues to pose a deep threat to global stability and the current world order. Their 1,800-mile border is the only place in the world where two hostile, nuclear-armed states face off every day. And the risk of nuclear conflict has only continued to rise in the past few years, to the point that it is now a very real possibility. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since they gained independence in 1947. Today, the disputed Line of Control that divides the region remains a particularly tense flashpoint.
