The Army’s Strategic Force Command carried out a successful training launch of nuclear capable intermediate range Ghauri (Hatf V) ballistic missile on February 1, 2008. President Pervez Musharraf and Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani witnessed the missile launch. The president reiterated at the occasion that Pakistan possessed credible nuclear deterrence capability. He stated: “We have taken note of various imaginary scenarios being propounded by those who do not wish Pakistan well. Such elements have never reconciled to a nuclear Pakistan.” The president also claimed that Pakistan was capable of thwarting all threats to its sovereignty. The 1,300 km range missile test was a practical display of solidifying defensive fence.
Pakistan developed and tested various categories of missiles having different ranges and payloads. The missiles programme’s primary objective is to boost its nuclear deterrence capability. Their indefatigable nature makes them the most potent carrier of nuclear weapons. Since the invention of Ghauri, Islamabad feels comfortable with its mastery in the state-of-the-art missile technologies. The first test of Ghauri on April 6, 1998 had brought a qualitative shift in the strategic landscape of South Asia. With its range of 1,500 km, the Ghauri could strike deep into Indian heartland, thereby nullifying India’s fundamental advantage of having strategic depth against Pakistan. In the words of then Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan; “in the missile race we have overtaken (India); he added that the Ghauri had “shattered the myth of India’s strategic depth.” The enhanced striking capability of Pakistani armed forces has a frustrating impact on the adversary. It proves that bigger territory could not provide sanctuary. In addition, despite asymmetry in conventional and nuclear forces Ghauri creates balance of terror between the antagonistic neighbours and deter Indian military adventure against Pakistan.
Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and of ballistic missiles in South Asia in recent years has been a great concern for security analysts. India and Pakistan accelerated their developments of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles as a way to protect themselves militarily. They have failed to negotiate bilateral arms control agreement. The absence of arms control agreement intensify security dilemma, which deepens arms race. Hence, New Delhi and Islamabad has been increasing their nuclear and missile arsenals. Theoretically, arms race consumes precious resources, which are essential for economic prosperity. Admittedly, for avoiding missiles and nuclear arms race, Islamabad proposed numerous treaties or agreements to New Delhi. In October 1998, for example, the former proposed Strategic Restraint Regime to the latter. The objective of the proposal was to constitute a regional-restraint regime based on credible nuclear deterrence at the minimum possible level, including non-induction of anti-ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles in the region. Precisely, the objective was the prevention of nuclear and ballistic missile race, risk reduction mechanism and the proposition that nuclear deterrence should be pursued at the lowest possible level. Regrettably, the proposal was rejected by New Delhi.
India’s defense and security systems have increasingly been moving towards technology intensive options with the assistance of strategic partners. The Indians announced that they have been working on the ballistic missile defense systems. The United States, Russian Federation and Israel have been assisting New Delhi in the development of missile defense systems. The declared aim of the anti-missile programme is exactly to counter the threat from ballistic missiles of the countries of concern. Though very serious doubts exist about the effectiveness and the technical feasibility of the project, yet it is risky for deterrence stability between India and Pakistan. Indeed, in nuclear deterrence paradigm, the fear of retaliation by a nuclear-armed adversary is a powerful factor for the successful continuation of deterrence. The latter’s Armed Forces, therefore, need to upgrade and modernise their equipments to keep pace with the former. To ensure that the armed forces are not deprived of timely acquisition of new weapon systems, it is of critical importance that development and delivery targets of weapons are met on schedule. Moreover, the soldiers should be trained to use them adequately at the time of need. The only effective deterrent to a potential aggressor is the tangible evidence of a defender’s intention and ability to withstand attack and to retaliate immediately.
The strategic competition between India and Pakistan can best be explained by the trajectory of missile development and the nuclear thrust in both countries and now, through emerging debate about the use of missile defenses in New Delhi. In this context, the recent training exercises are very much realistic and relevant, especially in the backdrop of propaganda against Pakistan’s safety and security of strategic assets; cementing Indo-US strategic partnership; Indo-Israel defense cooperation; and above all Americans impression to cutoff their defense and economic assistance to Pakistan. The successful launches of Shaheen and Ghauri ballistic missiles demonstrated that Army’s Strategic Force Command not only received the strategic missiles, but also capable to use them. In short, missile launches was an impressive step in the direction of military self-reliance and ensuring the deterrence credibility.
