Firebrand Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party today said that that while No First Use (NFU) of nuclear weapon is okay but if faced with a crazy leadership in Pakistan then the policy of first use should be retained by India. This coming from someone like Subramanian Swamy is no surprise, but the question is how different would it be even if India exercises its present status quo.
India’s NFU policy is part of its nuclear doctrine. Under the doctrine, India has a policy of credible minimum deterrence based on a ‘No First Use’ posture and non-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states. This means that India won’t be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict. In contrast, Pakistan does not have an NFU policy for its nuclear arsenal.
No first use of nuclear weapons is normal. But if faced with a crazed leadership as in Pakistan, first strike option must be retained by us
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) November 11, 2016
Earlier today India’s defence minister Mnaohar Parrikar had said that India should be a reponsible nuclear power and should not enter in the debate of no first use. This, he said was his personal opinion since he is also an individual first. In the election manifesto of the BJP before going to polls in 2014 it had promised to “study in detail India’s nuclear doctrine, and revise and update it, to make it relevant to challenges of current times.”
Manohar Parrikar’s opinion on nuclear doctrine stirs debate. India is a responsible nuclear power, it shouldn’t limit it, says Parrikar pic.twitter.com/fBxh7H6dHL
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) November 11, 2016
Be it Swamy or Parrikar, whether this kind statement will cause any damage to India’s bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), is yet to be seen.