5 days ago
India's Nuclear Submarines, K-6 Missiles & MIRV Power Can Crush China, Rattle US
New Delhi: India's BrahMos missiles struck 11 major airbases inside Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. The destruction left behind was severe. Most of those bases still remain non-operational. The attack exposed India's combat strength, and that revelation has triggered visible fear in Pakistan's press.
The Dawn has published a series of articles warning the world about India's growing missile power. Just last week, it raised alarms about India's bunker-buster bombs, calling them a significant threat to Pakistan's national security. Now, a new report highlights the one fear that Islamabad cannot shake – India's rapidly expanding naval nuclear arsenal.
Dr. Aqil Akhtar, visiting faculty at Pakistan's National Defence University, warns that India's sea-based missile systems pose a direct threat. He writes that India is aggressively expanding its naval presence and firepower across the Indian Ocean, Pacific and Arabian Sea. According to him, the scale of this buildup exceeds India's defensive needs by a wide margin.
India's naval modernisation is accelerating military competition and destabilising strategic balance. The analysis singles out India's nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and attack submarines (SSNs) as a major danger for Pakistan. The report describes India's sea-based nuclear deterrent programme as a shift from a defensive posture to an offensive maritime doctrine.
Why Pakistan Fears INS Arihant, INS Arighat
According to Dr. Akhtar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is weaponising the Indian Ocean under a bold maritime strategy. The article describes this strategy as a trigger for regional and global instability.
India's SSBN programme has reached a mature phase, which has sent alarm bells ringing in Islamabad. In direct combat terms, Pakistan stands no match. China, too, is now within India's striking range. India's sea-based missile power has reached a point where, in a full-scale war, India could inflict complete destruction on any adversary, including China.
The Dawn expresses growing panic over India's nuclear submarines such as the INS Arihant and the INS Arighat. These platforms have completed India's nuclear triad, giving New Delhi second-strike capabilities from land, air and sea. The subs carry K-15 missiles (750 km range) and K-4 missiles (3,500 km range). India is preparing to deploy K-5 (6,000 km) and K-6 (8,000 km) SLBMs in the near future.
Agni Missiles and MIRV Weapons Raise Global Alarms
The article claims Pakistan's fear goes beyond regional considerations. India's strategic capability now spans global distances. The analysis notes that India is capable of storing over 400 nuclear warheads, with at least 100 ready for submarine launch. With this arsenal, even major powers like China and the United States would hesitate before engaging India militarily.
According to the Dawn , India's recent behavior marks a drift from its stated policy of 'credible minimum deterrence'. The article suggests that India is now showcasing offensive power openly. Weapons equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) technology give India rapid first-strike potential, a shift that could destabilise nuclear strategy across Asia.
A Threat That Can't Be Ignored
Dr. Akhtar references senior Carnegie Fellow Ashley J. Tellis, who wrote in the Foreign Affairs that India's maritime strategy goes beyond China. According to the article, India aims to counter any nation seeking dominance, even the United States. The policy is rooted in the belief that countries have interests, not permanent friends.
India's SSBN capability forms the backbone of its second-strike doctrine. That means if a nuclear attack is launched against India, retaliation is guaranteed and unavoidable. No enemy would be left standing.
Pakistan has approached the United Nations Security Council and Western governments, urging them to stop India's development of long-range intercontinental missile systems such as the Agni-V and the Agni-VI.
