by Dr Ankit Srivastava

India’s first domestically built nuclear-powered submarine Arihant completed a successful month-long “deterrence patrol” recently giving New Delhi the capability to fire nuclear weapons from land, air and sea.

During the inauguration, Prime Minister Modi said, “Amid an increase in the number of nuclear weapons in our surroundings, a credible nuclear deterrence is extremely important for our country’s security. Arihant is an open warning for the country’s enemies, for the foes of peace: don’t try any misadventure against India.”

Commissioned way back in 2016, Arihant now accomplishes India’s goal of having the capacity to deliver nuclear warheads with aircraft, missiles and submarines. It completes India’s nuclear triad by adding maritime strike capability to land and air-based delivery platforms. It had been thirty years in the making and can now be considered a fully functional underwater ballistic missile delivery platform. “In an era such as this, a credible nuclear deterrence is the need of the hour,” Modi said.

The news set a flutter in Pakistan. “The development marks the first actual deployment of ready-to-fire nuclear warheads in South Asia which is a matter of concern not only for the Indian Ocean littoral states but also for the international community at large,” said Pakistan foreign office. But India’s response was already in the coming. Pakistan’s persistent use of bellicose language, continuous mention of Kashmir and the nuclear threat in the same breath, increased frequency of missile tests, aggressive posturing and deployment of terrorists across the border threatened strategic stability in South Asia. It raised serious questions about responsible nuclear stewardship in the terror state worrying India and the international community no end. In March 2017, Pakistan had reported successful testing of the nuclear-capable Submarine Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM) Babur-3. It forthwith announced attaining ‘Credible Second Strike Capability’. The dirty trick provoked India, forcing its naval forces to measure up with appropriate deterrent measures.

To meet the challenges posed by the latest developments both in the nuclear and conventional realms, India had to strive for nuclear and missile restraint as well as strategic stability. The world is aware of how dangerous India’s neighbourhood is. By its own admission, Pakistan has already achieved this capability in 2017 through Babur-3 missile. China’s fresh N-Submarine proposal is also on the way.

Pakistan has started these all and claims to have got answers to everything. Then what is the problem? Why is it now worried about India’s deployment when it also has second strike capability?

Pakistan believes that placing cruise missiles on conventional submarines alone enables extended patrolling and ensures strategic deterrence. But does it have strategic depth? The world is really worried about the vice-like grip of terrorists in Pakistan. Asia Bibi incident has proved once again government’s capitulation to fundamentalists. This dangerous country could force India to construct more powerful nuclear armed submarines in coming crucial decades.

India’s relations with China are warming in the realms of trade, but ties with Pakistan have nosedived thanks to terrorist incursions across the border. History reveals that India has never ever attacked a country but has always defended itself well. With nuclear-armed China to its north and nuclear-armed Pakistan to its west – both of which slapped wars on India – INS Arihant is truly a “fitting response to those who indulge in nuclear blackmail”.