India’s nuclear arsenal raises concerns under extremist rule: Gen Hayat

ISLAMABAD: Former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General (retd) Zubair Mahmood Hayat has reminded the world that India is “the only nuclear-armed state governed by an extremist ideology.” He further cautioned that the extremist ideology of India’s junta is influencing its strategic behaviour across ideological, political and technological dimensions. The two-day conference drew experts from Australia, Canada, China, Russia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States to discuss the military implications of emerging technologies. Speaking on the concluding day of the international conference on “Nuclear Deterrence in the Age of Emerging Technologies,” hosted by the Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) on Wednesday here, Hayat recalled that on account of ideological alignment of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Indian government has been promoting a form of forced Hindu nationalism. “Yet, the world chooses silence. Why? Because India is a large country, and the West is fixated on containing China,” General Hayat said. “These are the double standards, and they are dangerous for global peace and stability.”

He criticised India’s official use of the name “Bharat” at international platforms, calling it a signal of a deeper ideological transition from a secular democracy to a “Hindu Rashtra.”

General Hayat warned that India now possesses the world’s fastest-growing nuclear arsenal and has remained the largest arms importer for over a decade. He highlighted India’s expanding missile development programme, calling it a reflection of growing military ambitions.