Nuclear Politics in South Asia during Modi Era: Implications for Pakistan

Abstract

South Asian history is always responsive to the evolving strategic environment. The conflicts between India and Pakistan have pushed them into a vicious cycle of action and reaction, where the strategic posture of one state affects the other. In terms of conventional power, India has an edge over Pakistan which Pakistan counters with nuclear deterrence. So, Indian conventional or nuclear modernization directly impacts Pakistan’s nuclear security. During the Modi government, the instability intensified due to their rhetoric against Pakistan, the crisis between both states and rapid nuclear modernization, the apprehensions regarding Indian nuclear doctrines, and the Indo-US strategic cooperation directly threatening Pakistan’s nuclear security resulting in an arms race