‘Indian naval development can drive new arms race in region’

Islamabad : Vice Admiral (r) Khan Hasham bin Saddique, Managing Director Bahria Foundation, has said that the Indian Ocean region is not only complex and diverse but also greatly militarised by the littoral states and external major powers due to a spectrum of armed conflicts.

Khan was addressing a webinar on “Indian Naval modernisation and its impact on strategic stability in South Asia” organised here by Institute of Strategic Studies.

Khan said that the region is also facing non-traditional threats like terrorism, piracy and climate change, he said regretting that regional and bilateral security arrangements are not robust.

Commodore (r) Baber Bilal, Director, National Institute of Maritime Affairs, opined that Indian naval muscles in the Indian Ocean and future planned induction will make it a “Bull in China Shop” which will challenge the combined naval arsenal of all other states of the Indian Ocean region and global powers. It will also have far-reaching effects on the naval environment in the Atlantic, Pacific and Southern oceans. Therefore, Pakistan and like-minded states should increase interaction, cooperation and inter-dependence to safeguard their legitimate interest against the Indian challenges.

Khalid Mahmood, Chairperson, BoG ISSI, said that India’s motivations are to acquire the status of regional hegemonic global power and to contain China with US partnership. Towards that end, it is heavily militarising and nuclearising the Indian Ocean, he said adding that Pakistan must not seek parity and look for smart ways to maintain deterrence. Talking about the role of the US, Russia and Western powers, he said that their military assistance has played a greater role in disturbing the regional military balance.

Former naval aviator Captain (r) Dr Syed Aqeel Akhtar Naqvi observed that Indian naval development especially nuclear submarines will not only generate an escalatory effect during the crisis but also drive a new arms race in the region.

Earlier, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, presented an address of welcome.