Pakistan has short-range nuclear weapons to counter India's 'Cold Start' doctrine, says PM Abbasi

The newly-elected Pakistan Prime Minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi announced on Wednesday that they have developed short-range nuclear weapons to counter the 'Cold Start' doctrine — a method adopted by the Indian Armed Forces to prevent a nuclear retaliation from Pakistan in cases of possible war.

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"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 Nuclear Command Authority (NCA)," Abbasi was quoted as saying by PTI while addressing a question at the Council on Foreign Relations, on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.

Like India, the NCA of Pakistan is the authority responsible for command, control and operational decisions regarding their nation's nuclear weapons programme.

Besides asserting that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are in safe hands, Abbasi stated that their newly-developed nuclear weapons are under the supervision of the NCA.

"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," Abbasi added.

Meanwhile, Moderator David Sanger said that though Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear arsenal in the world, it is not worrisome to the US.

"There's no nuclear arsenal in the world that is growing faster. And there's no nuclear arsenal in the world, other than North Koreas, that tends to worry American more, because they worry about the safety of the arsenal. They worry about the command and control of the arsenal," Sanger said.

Pak's nuclear Arsenal is safe hands

Abbasi left no stone unturned to elucidate that their command-and-control systems of the nuclear weapons are secure as anybody else's in the world.

"The last 20 years are a testament to that," Abbasi said.

"So, let there be no doubt that any extremist element or somebody like that can gain control of fissile material or a nuclear weapon. There is just no possibility of that. And it's time-tested, and it's a very secure system that has been put in place," he added while clarifying that they are also well aware as to how to handle nuclear waste.

"We do have nuclear capability. There's no doubt about that. And we know how to handle nuclear waste. We had a nuclear program in the early 60s, one of the first countries in Asia to have a nuclear program. So if we've managed it for over 50-odd years, I think we can continue to manage it," the PM said.