In the world where claiming superiority and inculcating fear towards itself, is the first job of every country, the number of nuclear weapons owned is essentially a threat of growing power to others countries. A recent study shows that Pakistan will be at the fifth position in the world in terms of the number of nukes owned by 2025. This study based on the weapon strategies and anticipated weapon deployments in Pakistan estimates that the stockpile will increase to 200-250 warheads. But, it also says that India’s arsenal growth plays an important role in Pakistan making it to the fifth position.
Despite the political instability, Pakistan has been seen expanding its nuclear power in the past years. Pakistan has Uranium sources rich enough to make 10-15 warheads per year, and the production is controlled by Pak military. Its pace of nuclear modernization and its development of several short-range delivery systems indicate that a public explanation is overdue. And also, the world’s nuclear posture has entered an important new phase with this.
Pakistan can use its small tactical weapons against India in case there is any warlike situation. It is in the best interest of India to have an international supervision of the nuclear activities of Pakistan. It should also insist on signing the No-first-use treaty. If seen this way, the recent potential nuclear deal between US and Pakistan actually benefits or I should say secures India from this threat.
Seeing the high terrorist activities in the Pakistan, it is to be wondered if the nuclear weapons are kept safe from theft or not. Their safety ultimately depends upon how Pakistan safeguards them and what kind of use-control features the nukes have. And, this increases the chances of terrorist nuclear attacks.
Today, there are nine countries with a total of more than 15000 nuclear weapons. These countries are U.S., Russia, U.K., China, India, France, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. Some of these countries also provide protection to others using their nuclear power and some non-nuclear countries provide space on their lands to establish the nuclear plants owned by the nuclear countries.
Now, that technology has grown this much that we are making such devastatingly destructive weapons, it’s because of our cleverness, but, I doubt we are clever enough to not use them. We all are aware of the consequences if a nuclear bomb is dropped somewhere. We still see it; Hiroshima and Nagasaki still suffer from the nuclear attacks of 1945. No one can deny the situation where one has to use its nukes, may be not in the recent future. I sincerely hope that such a situation never comes. There are various global organizations persuading people and countries for a treaty to ban manufacturing of nuclear weapons.
On the one hand we are searching for life outside our planet and will definitely be going to try to make it our second home if possible. While on the other hand we are making weapons to destroy ourselves. We are all aware that these weapons have the capability to make life extinct on earth. Some cosmologists have assumed that life was an accident in the universe, but still, it’s a gift to survive in such a perfectly created world. Though we are the best bait of evolution in creating a brainy form of life, but this gives us no right to destroy with what we were created.
It is to be understood that even the existence of these nukes is a threat to life. So, we do need to think where we are leading power-blinded.
Reference: Indian Express
