Nuclear weapons plan remains ‘sole guarantor of peace in SA’: Adviser

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme remains the “sole guarantor of peace and stability in South Asia,” said Lt Gen Khalid Ahmed Kidwai (retired), Adviser to the National Command Authority, on Friday.

He made these remarks at a seminar hosted by the Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) to mark the 27th anniversary of Pakistan’s 1998 nuclear tests, widely commemorated as Youm-e-Takbeer.

This year’s observance assumed added significance in the aftermath of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. Indian military actions, including Operation Sindoor, were widely criticised by speakers at the event as reckless provocations designed to test Pakistan’s thresholds in a nuclearised environment.

Pakistan responded with a series of precise retaliatory measures under Operation Bunyan un Marsoos, part of the broader Marka-e-Haq campaign. Experts at the seminar said the response reasserted deterrence, restored strategic balance, and marked what they described as a “decisive paradigm shift” in the regional balance.

“It showcased Pakistan’s credible nuclear capability and reaffirmed that this deterrent —operationalised through Full Spectrum Deterrence (FSD) — serves as the cornerstone of peace and strategic stability in South Asia,” said one speaker, adding that the mini-war underscored the deterrent’s enduring role in preserving peace. The seminar featured senior officials and strategic thinkers, including Ambassador SohailMahmood, Director General of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI); Muhammad Naeem, former Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC); Dr Adil Sultan, Dean of Air University; and Brig Dr Zahirul Haider Kazmi (retired), Adviser on Arms Control at the Strategic Plans Division (SPD).

Speakers observed a pattern in India’s behaviour — using false flag operations as a casus belli to justify limited strikes against Pakistan while disregarding the prevailing nuclear environment. They warned that such actions risk dangerous miscalculations. They emphasised that Pakistan’s nuclear capability is a strategic necessity that has effectively deterred full-scale war, even as threats have evolved in complexity and domain.

The panel stressed that Pakistan now possesses a comprehensive toolkit of both kinetic and non-kinetic options to respond to any future Indian provocations, and that its response will follow a Quid Pro Quo Plus (QPQ+) approach — swift, proportionate, and precise — designed to neutralize aggression and compel de-escalation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025