An assessment of nuclear and missile developments in South Asia.

Since conducting nuclear tests in 1998, both India and Pakistan have decided to build a “minimum nuclear
deterrence”, replacing the policy of “non-weaponized nuclear deterrence”, followed since 1970s. Both
countries appear to have accelerated their nuclear and missile programmes, particularly since 2001, while
the international attention has been focused elsewhere such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Free from intensive
international scrutiny, India and Pakistan continued to develop, test and deploy different types of ballistic
missiles. The nuclear and missile developments in South Asia are gaining greater momentum rather than slowing down and India and Pakistan appear to be in danger of being trapped into a costly strategic arms race. This paper discusses various nuclear and missile developments in India and Pakistan and their technological capabilities. It also analyses the likely medium and long-term nuclear and missile developments or trends in South Asia and their implications for regional and global security, particularly
from the view of nuclear and missile non-proliferation.