Pak’s answer to India’s Cold Start: short-range N-weapons

TIL Desk/World/Islamabad/ Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi today said his country has developed short-range nuclear weapons to counter the ‘cold start doctrine’ adopted by the Indian Army. Abbasi was also assertive of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenals being safe and secure.

“We have a very robust and secure command-and-control system over our strategic nuclear assets. Time has proved that it’s a process that is very secure. It’s a process that has complete civilian oversight through the NCA,” Abbasi said in response to a question at the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank.

The Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) of Pakistan is the authority responsible for command, control and operational decisions regarding the country’s nuclear arsenals.

“As far as tactical nuclear weapons (are concerned), we do not have any fielded tactical nuclear weapons. We have developed short-range nuclear weapons as a counter to the Cold Start doctrine that India has developed. Again, those are in the same command-and-control authority that controls the other strategic weapons,” he said.