1998 nuclear tests gave parity to Pakistan: Jaswant Singh

ejazr

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http://www.dnaindia.com/india/repor...gave-parity-to-pakistan-jaswant-singh_1473590

Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh, known for toeing a different line from that of his party on several issues, today said India's nuclear tests in 1998 during the NDA regime gave a parity to Pakistan that it had always sought.

"The question that troubles us is that the 1998 nuclear tests by India conferred a kind of parity to Pakistan that it had always sought," Singh said at a seminar at IIC in Delhi today.

Explaining further, the former external affairs minister said this parity had come about as the "deterrent quotient" had been altered after the nuclear tests.

"You cannot deter the undeterable... One who is not frightened of death but welcomes death," he said.

The Pokharan-II tests, which catapulted India from a threshold nuclear power to a full-fledged one, is something that the BJP-led NDA is proud of and proclaims as one of its biggest achievements.

Singh was the external affairs minister at the time the tests were conducted.

In the seminar, Singh - who was expelled from the BJP for authoring a book praising Pakistan-founder MA Jinnah and holding former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel responsible for partition, said there was a need to reach out to the neighbouring country as well as the whole of North-West, including Afghanistan.

Quoting eminent academician Stephen Cohen, Singh said Indian and Pakistan have had estranged relations with each other for the last 63 years and "it requires just another 37 years to make it the second 100 year war in history".

"We don't have to make it the second 100 year war," he said.

Singh also criticised India's alleged role in training LTTE cadre who fought in Sri Lanka.

"We trained the LTTE. We created the Frankeinstein.... The Tamils in Sri Lanka today are facing problems due to this," Singh said.

Interestingly, the former union minister said the problems in India's neighbourhood were caused due to failure of the US foreign policy.

"The dilemma we face in the neighbourhood is a result of the failure of US foreign policy. US is unable to withdraw (from Afghanistan) and is unable to dominate," Singh said.

In reply to a question on why Indian legislature had not been able to play asactive a role in Indo-Pakistan relations as our executive had, Singh said, "There are no votes (at stake) while dealing with Pakistan."
 

alone

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Thats wrong premise Jaswant Singh has been floating.Pakistan always had working Chinese Nuclear bomb in its possession since mid 1980s.1998 nuclear test only made Pakistan to declare it thats it.And the parity which Jaswant Singh is talking about is not due to 1998 nuclear tests but is due to Spineless India leadership of which Jaswant Singh was part of for 6 years.The parity which Jaswant Singh talk about is in Indian leaders' fearful minds.Otherwise there is still no parity between India and Pakistan.
 

Yusuf

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Tests didnt matter at all. The Pakistanis were an unofficial nuclear power since the 80s. They got the Chinese to help them test which is also a known secret. The tests were more important for India as it had to validate its designs which were unproven till that point as the 74 tests were pretty old and of old design.
 

Ray

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Some claim that the Pakistani test validated their findings, while the Indian one was 'iffy'!
 

Ray

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Singh also criticised India's alleged role in training LTTE cadre who fought in Sri Lanka.
Maj Jaswant Singh is wrong on this count.

If India did not do what it did, the US would be in Trincomalee and in those days, they were not our so called strategic partner!!

The Chinese are all over SL (as per Yusuf who was recently there for business). And this was bound to happen given the Chinese plans as was slowly unfolding! Further, we could not afford to be boxed in by the Chinese on all fronts!

The fact that India is 'all over' with its various economic, medical and rail package in North SL allows us a foothold in SL and it will be an important input to guide the SL Govt not to be too adventure prone with the assistance of foreign 'friends'.

Long term strategy is more important and short term insights!
 

Yusuf

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Some claim that the Pakistani test validated their findings, while the Indian one was 'iffy'!
Sir, Pakistanis tested a working bomb as its not theirs but assembled chinese bomb. India had to verify a lot of things. Even if as contended the tests failed, a failed test itself is good enough to tell us what we are doing right and what wrong. Indian design is way ahead of Pakistani that is pretty much established. Thats why pakistan is going in for a bigger arsenal which is said to be even bigger than India while India follows a policy of minimum but effective deterance.
 

Tshering22

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^^ It is essential that we increase the number of nukes we have. Surely with the advent of supercomps, we don't need to exactly test the nukes really; not at least for now. We can always simulate the nuclear test until NSG gets too diluted in the coming 10 years and we get an effective platform on which West won't be able to do anything serious against us needlessly to hamper our growth. I have a feeling that we should at least have 200-300 nukes of at least 100Kt-300 Kt yield so that we can keep both China and Pakistan worried enough not to strike.
 

Yusuf

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Sir you would know better than me, but I think Indian planners which takes input from the armed forces (obviously) have come to the conclusion that about 100 warheads is a good enough deterrent against pak and china. The chinese have the world to take care of now and they maintain only 200 odd nukes. Besides india has enough fissile material to ramp up its arsenal and the civil nuke deal has made it possible for us to generate even more.
 

p2prada

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Sir you would know better than me, but I think Indian planners which takes input from the armed forces (obviously) have come to the conclusion that about 100 warheads is a good enough deterrent against pak and china. The chinese have the world to take care of now and they maintain only 200 odd nukes. Besides india has enough fissile material to ramp up its arsenal and the civil nuke deal has made it possible for us to generate even more.
Not true. We do not know what has been defined as a Minimum Credible Deterrence in our Nuclear Doctrine. It is not open source information. Perhaps Ray Sir knows the actual number or an estimate. But, you won't get it.

Also, I remember our discussions with OOE sir. He mentioned that the Chinese are not giving Nuclear deterrence enough credibility as of now because they feel Nuclear Options are obsolete, rather they are focussing on their conventional military power. Only Russia and US can exercise their nuclear Options in the way it is meant to be done. His argument was if you need to bring down a city, then you only need to take out power and water supply. People will die of boredom after that. The Burning or Starving babies option.

200 or 300 or 400 nukes are a waste of time. 36000 is more like it and neither Pakistan, India or China can reach those kind of numbers in the next 15-20 years.
 

Yusuf

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Yes p2p its better to target water and sewage systems than the bravado to blowing cities to smitherins. That's why indian nukes are limited I would imagine to do just that enough damage. And yes I fully subscribe to steward slades nuke warfare.
 
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Jaswant Singh is proving himself to be a total idiot these last few years.
 

maomao

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He has become old and should take retirement, his stupidities don't work anymore. Its time for him to have some shame and say goodbye to politics, as no one wants to take him in!!
 

pmaitra

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The 1998 Nuclear Tests did not give parity to Pakistan vis-a-vis India. They already had the parity as they already had working nukes. It was India who made sure that her nukes work.

Even if, for arguments sake, one concedes that these tests gave Pakistan parity vis-a-vis India, then they also gave India parity vis-a-vis PRC.

We all know what happened. Both India and Pakistan were slapped with sanctions, but in India's case, most were removed. India, definitely gained more.
 

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