WASHINGTON, Oct 28: India and Pakistan are making nuclear weapons and missiles at an “accelerated” pace and the race is fuelled by their mutual fear of being left behind by the other, says a US Congressional report expected to be released soon.

“Indian and Pakistani strategic programmes continue to be driven by the perception of the other’s effort,” and the two countries are “in a period of accelerated nuclear weapons and missile development” that may be termed a “slow-speed” arms race, says the report quoting from a US Defence Department’s review of arms proliferation in South Asia.

The report, prepared as a policy paper for US lawmakers, also quotes CIA Director George J. Tenet as telling the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that “both India and Pakistan are working on the doctrine and tactics for more advanced nuclear weapons, producing fissile material, and increasing their nuclear stockpiles. Both countries also continue to develop long-range nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, and plan to field cruise missiles with a land attack capability.”

The report argues that overt nuclear weaponization by either side — most especially of their ballistic missiles — could be highly destabilizing, especially if significant nuclear missile forces are deployed in the absence of secure command and control structures.

The authors quote a Pentagon source that, “India’s development of medium-range ballistic missiles ... is motivated by its desire to be recognized as a great power and strategic competitor with China.”

“China seems content with its existing deterrent against India, and Pakistan’s limited resources appear to constrain its ability to initiate an Indo-Pakistani arms race.”

The report says “one of the more dangerous scenarios is one in which India actively seeks to gain nuclear parity with China by building a larger nuclear arsenal and long-range delivery force”.