UNDERSTANDING INDIA-PAKISTAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT AND CHALLENGES FOR THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY (NPT)

Abstract

This paper aims at investigating whether nuclear developments in South Asia challenge the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT)? New Delhi and Islamabad have distinct nuclear weapons programmes both are tangled. South Asian nuclearization helps readership understand that states faced with existential threats mange to overcome technological challenges and acquire fissile material to develop nuclear weapons. South Asian nuclear proliferation enables arms control and disarmament activists to analyse, comprehend and draw lessons to strengthen disarmament efforts and prevent future nuclear proliferation. Primarily mutual suspicions, turbulent history and trust deficit resulted in mutual security dilemma. It resulted in qualitative and quantitative conventional arms race leading to nuclear proliferation. Security competition in South Asia and strategic environment in Pakistan’s case affirms realist notion that self-help is the only recipe to survive in international system. Indian case ascertains that nuclear proliferation begets nuclear proliferation. Further, nuclear weapons deter nuclear weapons. It essentially has grave impact on nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

Keywords: Nuclear Non-Proliferation, India, Pakistan, Technologically, Fissile Material.