Terrorist attack in India may lead to nuclear war: US experts

Published February 28, 2015
The image shows Hatf 4, Shaheen I, test fired from an undisclosed location. —Online/File
The image shows Hatf 4, Shaheen I, test fired from an undisclosed location. —Online/File
. — Reuters/File
. — Reuters/File

WASHINGTON: A major terrorist attack in India might lead to a large-scale military assault on Pakistan, which then could lead to a nuclear war in one of the world’s most populous regions, the US Congress was told.

Two US experts on South Asian affairs — George Perkovich and Ashley Tellis — presented the doom’s day scenario before a Senate panel earlier this week.

The US Senate and the House of Representatives held a series of hearings this week to consider the Obama administration’s budget proposals for 2016.

While debating the US State Department’s proposals for foreign aid, lawmakers invited senior US officials — including Secretary of State John Kerry — and think-tank experts to explain the administration’s foreign policy.

Take a look: Pakistan's support to LeT will likely be an irritant: US Intelligence Director

During one of these hearings, the two experts argued that Pakistan might use nuclear weapons against India if the latter launched a large-scale military assault in retaliation for a major terror attack from across the border.

“South Asia is the most likely place nuclear weapons could be detonated in the foreseeable future. This risk derives from the unusual dynamic of the India-Pakistan competition,” said Mr Perkovich, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Mr Tellis of the same institute urged the United States to use its influence to preventing a terrorist attack.

“Other than this, there is little that the United States can do to preserve deterrence stability between two asymmetrically-sized states where the gap in power promises to become even wider tomorrow than it is today,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play

Opinion

Editorial

Al Qadir ruling
Updated 18 Jan, 2025

Al Qadir ruling

One wonders whether the case is as closed as PTI’s critics would have one believe.
Atlantic tragedy
18 Jan, 2025

Atlantic tragedy

AS reports emerge of another migrant boat sinking — this time in the Atlantic off the coast of Western Sahara — ...
Cheap promises?
18 Jan, 2025

Cheap promises?

TALK is cheap. Can electricity also be? The government has recently announced that Pakistan will benefit from the...
Never again
Updated 17 Jan, 2025

Never again

The Gaza genocide has also revealed the utter helplessness of the Palestinian Authority in projecting Palestine’s case globally.
World Bank loan
17 Jan, 2025

World Bank loan

THAT the World Bank will give $20bn to Pakistan in the next 10 years to address some of the country’s most acute...
India’s dangerous game
17 Jan, 2025

India’s dangerous game

THE latest inflammatory remarks by India’s military brass about Pakistan mark a troubling departure from the...