‘Pakistan to restore strategic balance of power’

Islamabad : India’s acquisition of offensive and aggressive military capability with the help of the US-led West has compelled Pakistan to take measures to restore the strategic balance of power in the region.

Adviser National Command Authority Lieutenant General (r) Mazhar Jamil expressed these views Tuesday while addressing a seminar hosted by the Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) in collaboration with Karakoram International University (KIU) on ‘National Security Imperatives-a Comprehensive Framework of Traditional and Non-Traditional Security Determinants.’

The event was attended by senior military and government officials, academics and experts from the field of nuclear and space technologies.

“In the face of growing Indian military capability and aggressive doctrines, Pakistan has no choice but to take countermeasures to any Indian attempt of creating imbalance in the region and launching any military aggression,” Jamil said.

Jamil said, Indian conventional and military build-up was being patronised by the US-led West, which is also providing Delhi access to advanced nuclear technologies and materials, disregarding international norms and commitments of non-proliferation regime. The West, by turning a blind eye to rising Hindu nationalism and extremism, he contended, is contributing to India’s transformation into a highly irresponsible nuclear power.

“It has been witnessed in the past decade and a half that any political or military support that New Delhi receives, it tends to use it against Pakistan while presenting itself as a counterweight against China,” Jamil asserted. Pakistan, as a responsible nuclear weapon state, the NCA adviser emphasised, seeks strategic stability and shall maintain Full Spectrum Deterrence (FSD). However, at the same time, Pakistan remains open to exploring bilateral arms control mechanisms with India to reduce nuclear risks and prevent war.