India-Pakistan Tensions: Who will make the final call if India launches nuclear bombs? Cost of an atomic bomb is Massive Rs...,hidden in...

India.com

06-05-2025

New Delhi: The India-Pakistan relationship has touched a new low after the cowardly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama by Pakistan-backed terrorists. The tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries have sparked a global debate around atomic weapons and its usage. In the last few weeks, there has been a series of irresponsible statements by Pakistani leaders, threatening India with nuclear bomb attacks. Nuclear weapons are the most destructive, inhumane and indiscriminate weapons ever created. Both in the scale of the devastation they cause, and in their uniquely persistent, spreading, genetically damaging radioactive fallout, they are unlike any other weapons. It is important to note that a single nuclear bomb detonated over a large city could kill millions of people. The use of tens or hundreds of nuclear bombs would disrupt the global climate, causing widespread famine. But do you know how much a nuclear bomb actually costs?
To recall, during World War II, the United States dropped two atomic bombs named 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man' on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombs killed thousands of people and caused damages worth billions of dollars to Japan. Today, the countries around the globe are spending a whopping USD 91.4 billion annually on the maintenance of nuclear weapons. When calculated per second, this amounts to $2,898 — or approximately ₹2.5 lakh — every second.
In Pakistan, fighter jets like the F-16 are stationed at Sargodha (Mushaf) Air Base and Shahbaz Air Base. According to the reports, Pakistan's nuclear weapons are stored at the Sargodha Weapons Storage Complex, located about 10 km from this site. The country possesses missiles such as Abdali, Shaheen, Ghauri, Hatf, and Shaheen. In Pakistan, the decision to launch a nuclear attack can be made by the National Command Authority, which is led by the Prime Minister.
It is important to note that in any country, the President or the Prime Minister does not directly order a nuclear strike. The decision to carry out a nuclear attack is made based on the advice of top bodies and individuals such as the Cabinet Committee on Security, the National Security Advisor (NSA), and the Chief of Defence Staff. However, the final decision rests with the Prime Minister.
The actual execution of a nuclear strike is the responsibility of the team at the final level of the nuclear command, which launches the missile armed with a nuclear warhead. In the United States, the President has access to the 'nuclear football,' while in Russia, the President has a similar briefcase that contains war plans and detailed information on nuclear missiles and their targets.
India's defense strength is much more powerful than Pakistan. The country possesses missiles such as Agni, Shaurya, Pralay, and BrahMos, which are capable of carrying out nuclear strikes. The country has the capability to launch nuclear attacks from sea, air, and land — a strategic capability known as the nuclear triad. However, India has stated that it will never initiate a nuclear attack, but will respond decisively and in kind if attacked.
There have been several accidents involving nuclear weapons. In 1957, a nuclear bomb accidentally fell from a plane in New Mexico, but it did not detonate, preventing a disaster. In 1958, a U.S. B-47 fighter jet accidentally dropped an atomic bomb over South Carolina, but fortunately, the nuclear warhead remained inside the plane. In 1961, a B-52 aircraft carrying two nuclear bombs crashed in California. In 1965, a nuclear bomb fell into the sea from a U.S. aircraft that had taken off from an aircraft carrier — and that bomb has never been found to this day.