A Round Table was organized by the Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) at the CISS premises Islamabad on “Future of Nuclear Weapons in South Asia”. Renowned American South Asian expert at RAND Corp Mr. Christopher Clary was the speaker on the occasion.
Mr. Christopher Clary organized his talk around the ten questions. First was about the way tactical nuclear weapons will be deployed in future in India-Pakistan context. Second question was the ways about how NASR weapons system will be deployed by Pakistan in a future conflict with India. Third question was about whether India will go for a graduated nuclear response policy. Fourth question was about the change in war planning in both India and Pakistan after the advent of nuclear weapons. Fifth question was about potential differences between cruise and ballistic missiles in conventional mode and how will they be relevant in the South Asian context. Sixth question was related to as to how the ballistic missile defense in South Asia will stabilize or destabilize strategic stability in the region. Seventh question addressed the issue of false alarms and nuclear readiness level in the region. Eight question was about potential MIRVING of ballistic missiles forces in India and Pakistan. Ninth question was related to nuclear deterrence at sea and its potential implications for deterrence stability in South Asia. Tenth question dealt with the issue of how much of nuclear war heads are enough for India and Pakistan.
Earlier, Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi, Executive Director CISS in his opening remarks welcomed Mr. Christopher Clary to the Center. Ambassador Naqvi gave a brief historical overview about the nuclearization of India and Pakistan and the imperatives that drove Pakistan towards acquiring deterrent capabilities. Ambassador Naqvi in his remarks explained rationale for Pakistan’s policy on the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT) at the conference of disarmament (CD) forum at the United Nation.
Round table was attended by members of academia, think tank representatives, and policy making establishments.
An interactive and stimulating question and answer session followed Mr. Clary’s talk during which the participants asked a number of questions.
Executive Director CISS Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi, thanked Mr. Christopher Clary for his perceptive insights and valuable analysis.
