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As per a Reuters report Pakistan is creating an arsenal of 60 Km ( 36 mile) surface to surface NASR missile that could be armed with nuclear war heads for short distance engagement. The missile has been successfully tested a month ago and is ready for deployment. D.G. Kimball the executive director of the US based Arms Control Association says "Pakistan's development and testing of nuclear-capable short-range missiles is a destabilizing and potentially dangerous development".
The Hatf IX NASR Missile being test fired by Pakistan
( Source Pakistan Military Video Stills from Reuters)
Pakistan's standard retort is that it is a safeguard against Indian capability, though India has no stockpile of small nukes, nor need for such a deterrent. The key range for an optimum strike from India in case of a India Pakistan war fare will be more likely 800-1000 miles, because it would be a convenient distance to target all off Pakistan from a few hundred miles within Indian territory. Similarly Pakistan would need a range of 2500- 3000 miles penetration to cover major Indian cities and a 800-1000 mile range to easily cover India's capital New Delhi. So why is Pakistan creating the small capacity missiles for nukes ? ....
The battlefield in Peshawar, Afghanistan and in the trouble torn Gulf and North Africa are typically areas where the key targets lie within the hundred mile range and control of local strongholds becomes the crucial in absence of expensive and strategic air power by either of the fighting armies or tribes. It is here that powerful missile launchers are fired from trucks and SUV's striking small population centers across vast and arid deserts or mountain passes with devastating effect.
This is where such missiles powered by mini nukes could be a game changer. It is here that cash rich regimes of authoritarian rulers flush with oil money, want to decimate the rebel local population selectively and strike fear of death without starting a full scale war with other nations. Could Pakistan be readying itself for such an eventuality ? Did China give Pakistan the technology to create such state of art missiles for carrying small nukes? Can such proliferation be at all stopped, now that Pakistan Prime Minister is in China and in all probability is seeking China's help to protect its nuclear assets after the Abbotabad strike by US forces.
The Hatf IX NASR Missile being test fired by Pakistan
( Source Pakistan Military Video Stills from Reuters)
Pakistan's standard retort is that it is a safeguard against Indian capability, though India has no stockpile of small nukes, nor need for such a deterrent. The key range for an optimum strike from India in case of a India Pakistan war fare will be more likely 800-1000 miles, because it would be a convenient distance to target all off Pakistan from a few hundred miles within Indian territory. Similarly Pakistan would need a range of 2500- 3000 miles penetration to cover major Indian cities and a 800-1000 mile range to easily cover India's capital New Delhi. So why is Pakistan creating the small capacity missiles for nukes ? ....
The battlefield in Peshawar, Afghanistan and in the trouble torn Gulf and North Africa are typically areas where the key targets lie within the hundred mile range and control of local strongholds becomes the crucial in absence of expensive and strategic air power by either of the fighting armies or tribes. It is here that powerful missile launchers are fired from trucks and SUV's striking small population centers across vast and arid deserts or mountain passes with devastating effect.
This is where such missiles powered by mini nukes could be a game changer. It is here that cash rich regimes of authoritarian rulers flush with oil money, want to decimate the rebel local population selectively and strike fear of death without starting a full scale war with other nations. Could Pakistan be readying itself for such an eventuality ? Did China give Pakistan the technology to create such state of art missiles for carrying small nukes? Can such proliferation be at all stopped, now that Pakistan Prime Minister is in China and in all probability is seeking China's help to protect its nuclear assets after the Abbotabad strike by US forces.
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