Latest news with #nucleararsenal
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Pakistan upgrading nukes with Chinese support, US warns
Pakistan is upgrading its nuclear arsenal with Chinese support and sees India as an 'existential threat ', a US report has said. In its worldwide threat assessment report for 2025, the US Defence Intelligence Agency predicted that nuclear modernisation would be a top priority for Pakistan's military during the next year. The report said: 'Pakistan regards India as an existential threat and will continue to pursue its military modernisation effort, including the development of battlefield nuclear weapons, to offset India's conventional military advantage.' It suggested Islamabad was not only upgrading and securing its arsenal but also 'almost certainly' procuring weapons of mass destruction (WMD). 'Pakistan is modernising its nuclear arsenal and maintaining the security of its nuclear materials and nuclear command and control. Pakistan almost certainly procures WMD-applicable goods from foreign suppliers and intermediaries,' it said. Chinese largesse Pakistan is a recipient of China's economic and military largesse, and the two nations carry out joint military exercises, including an air exercise in November last year. 'Foreign materials and technology supporting Pakistan's WMD programs are very likely acquired primarily from suppliers in China, and sometimes are trans-shipped through Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates,' said the report. India considers China its 'primary adversary,' and Pakistan, its neighbour, more of an 'ancillary security problem', the report said. It added that India had modernised its military last year, testing the nuclear-capable developmental Agni-I Prime MRBM (medium-range ballistic missile) and the Agni-V multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle. India also commissioned a second nuclear-powered submarine to strengthen its nuclear triad and bolster its ability to deter adversaries. Last week, the Indian government claimed China had helped move satellites and recalibrate air defence systems before Pakistan shot down Indian fighter jets during their recent military clashes. According to Ashok Kumar, the director general of the New Delhi-based Centre For Joint Warfare Studies, China worked with Pakistan to reorganise its radar and air defence systems to track troop deployments and aerial movements by India. Mr Kumar, whose research group operates under the Indian Ministry of Defence, said Chinese military advisers helped Pakistan realign its satellite coverage over India as the two neighbouring state clashed after the April 22 terror attack. On that day, 26 tourists were killed at Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan and accused it of backing cross-border terrorism. Pakistan denied any involvement and called for an international investigation. Between May 7 and 10, the neighbouring states launched attacks involving supersonic missiles and drones on each other's territory. Pakistan said it shot down six Indian warplanes, including three French-made Rafales. India has not commented on the specific losses. Dozens of civilians were killed in the attacks, mostly in Kashmir, which is divided between the two nations. Hours after the initial Indian military strikes on May 7, Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's foreign minister, told parliament that Islamabad had used Chinese jets, including J-10C, against India. Mr Dar said the Chinese ambassador had been called to his office to discuss the deployment. Pakistan also used a Chinese-made PL-15 missile, which has never been used in combat before. Its use raised concerns among Beijing's rivals, including Taiwan. China's government has not commented on the use of its equipment. Donald Trump, the US president, surprised many by announcing a ' full and immediate ceasefire ' on May 10, which appears to be holding.
South China Morning Post
15-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
India calls for UN scrutiny of Pakistan's nuclear weapons as tensions persist
Pakistan's nuclear arsenal should be under the surveillance of the UN's nuclear agency, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday, following last week's four days of conflict between Islamabad and New Delhi. 'I want to put this question to the world … is Pakistan's nuclear arsenal safe?' Singh said to troops at a base in Indian-administered Kashmir, adding: 'Pakistan's nuclear arsenal should be brought under the scrutiny of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency).' Singh's remarks came a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took aim at his counterpart over the border, accusing Narendra Modi of fanning instability and vowing a harsh response to future attacks. Sharif spoke at a gathering of soldiers near the border on Wednesday, two days after Modi pledged in a speech to neutralise terrorist camps in Pakistan, calling its May 7 strikes inside Pakistan territory as a 'new normal' response. 'Mr. Modi, if you take this route again, you will get a devastating answer,' Sharif said. 'If you attack us, you'll lose whatever you have.' The two South Asian nuclear powers have agreed to a ceasefire after their most serious military confrontation in half a century. Tit-for-tat strikes followed India's operations after militants killed 26 people in the disputed Kashmir region. India has accused Pakistan of involvement, which Islamabad denies.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pakistan defence minister: no meeting of government top nuclear body is scheduled
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that no meeting of the National Command Authority, which is Pakistan's top military and civil body overseeing the country's nuclear arsenal, was scheduled following a military operation against India that took place early on Saturday. Pakistan's military had said earlier in the day that Pakistan's prime minister had called on the authority to meet.
Reuters
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Pakistan defence minister: no meeting of government top nuclear body is scheduled
ISLAMABAD, May 10 (Reuters) - Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that no meeting of the National Command Authority, which is Pakistan's top military and civil body overseeing the country's nuclear arsenal, was scheduled following a military operation against India that took place early on Saturday. Pakistan's military had said earlier in the day that Pakistan's prime minister had called on the authority to meet.
