ISLAMABAD: India’s aggressive missile developments, including deploying advanced systems like the BrahMos missile and MIRVs, pose a significant regional and global security threats, necessitating Pakistan’s vigilant and comprehensive response.
This was stated by General Zubair Mahmood Hayat (retd), former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, while addressing a seminar on “Missile Developments in South Asia: Global and Regional Implications” here on Tuesday.
The seminar was organised as part of commemoration of Youm-e-Takbeer, by the Arms Control and Disarmament Centre (ACDC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI). Besides, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat (retd), the seminar was also addressed by Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Dean and Professor SPIR, QAU; Air Commodore Khalid Banuri (retd), Adviser Jinnah Centre for Character and Leadership (JCCL), AHQ Islamabad; Ghazala Yasmin Jalil, Research Fellow ACDC-ISSI; and Dr. Naeem Salik, President Strategic Vision Institute (SVI).
In his keynote address, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat provided a profound analysis of India’s ideological and strategic shifts. He said that Youm-e-Takbeer was a day to reassert national pride and ownership. He stated that missile development in South Asia must be seen as a “tool” in the hands of the current political dispensation in New Delhi, which was effecting the ideological shift from ‘India to Bharat’.
He argued that the RSS ideology driving this transformation has far-reaching ramifications at both regional and global levels. He asserted that an expansionist and revisionist agenda, now deeply influencing Bharat’s strategic intent, significantly diverges from India’s historical strategic culture.
He added that politicization of India’s military strategy, drawing from historical figures like Chanakya, whose principles emphasized power and deception at all costs. He pointed out that India’s aggressive missile developments, including deploying advanced systems like the BrahMos missile and developing MIRVs, reflect this new strategic posture.
He emphasized that these developments pose significant regional and global security threats, necessitating Pakistan’s vigilant and comprehensive response.
He also pointed out that India had the fastest growing nuclear program in the world, which remained opaque. He added that India’s nuclear and missile program was the result of vertical and horizontal proliferation. He stressed the need to have a deeper understanding of the ideological shift in India and the imperative for Pakistan to have appropriate counter measures. In his remarks, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood (retd), DG ISSI, emphasized the pivotal moment in South Asia’s nuclear history on 28 May 1998 marked by Pakistan’s response to Indian nuclear tests and the restoration of strategic balance in the region.
He emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to maintaining robust deterrent capabilities and its role as a responsible nuclear state. He extended sincere gratitude to all the leaders, scientists, engineers, strategists and diplomats who had contributed to making Pakistan’s defense impregnable.
He elaborated on Pakistan’s post-1998 policy, emphasizing the country’s robust operationalised deterrent capability, the development of an impeccable nuclear safety and security regime, and Pakistan’s reinforced credentials as a responsible nuclear state on the international stage. Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal discussed “Global Missile Developments and International Security,” tracing the evolution of missile technology and its proliferation.
He highlighted the increasing security dilemmas and the rise in missile capabilities among major powers, including China, the U.S., Russia, and India. He explained the weakening of the Cold War-era arms control architecture and the strategic implications of integrating nuclear technology with missile systems.
Khalid Banuri discussed Indian missile developments, India’s ambitious missile programs, including the Agni-5 and MIRV technologies, and their strategic implications for Pakistan and China. He underscored the technological advancements and increasing range of Indian missiles, which pose significant challenges to regional security.
Ghazala Yasmin Jalil presented an in-depth analysis of India’s missile defence and hypersonic missile developments. She explained the technological advancements in hypersonic missiles and highlighted India’s pursuit of hypersonic missile technology, including the development of the HSTDV.
She also examined the strategic implications of these advancements for regional stability and argued that the development of hypersonic missiles could destabilize the existing deterrence equilibrium in South Asia.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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