It was not immediately clear whether the Pakistan army which is seen as key stakeholder in making Pakistan’s policy towards India was on board with the statement of Imran Khan.
Islamabad | Pakistan wouldn’t be the first country to use nuclear weapons, said Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. He also clarified this would not change the country’s nuclear policy.
Khan also said, “India and Pakistan are armed countries. The world could be in danger so there will be no first from Pakistan side ever.” It was not immediately clear if the Pakistan army which is seen as key stakeholder in making Pakistan’s policy towards India, Afghanistan and the US, was on board with this statement. Khan quoted this while addressing members of a Sikh religious community from eastern city Lahore.
The Pak army views the Indian army as a significant threat and believes that India has developed several missiles and nuclear warheads.
Also Read: “If world does nothing on Kashmir, direct military confrontation possible”, says Imran Khan
The statement has come amidst tension between India and Pak over scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories.
Earlier India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 16th August 2019 stated that India would stick to “No first use” (NFC) doctrine. However, what happens in future would depend on the circumstances.
Repeated threats by Pakistan
Khan’s statement was surprising for many as he repeatedly threatened India for nuclear war. After defanging of Article 370, Khan had said that his country will go to any extent on the issue. He warned, “If the Kashmir conflict moves towards war then both nations have nuclear weapons and no one will win the nuclear battle. It will have global ramifications.”
“The superpowers of the world will have a huge responsibility whether they support Pak or not, Pakistan will do everything possible,” he had added.
Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has still not commented on Khan’s statement.
India and Pak both came out of the nuclear closet in 1998. In its nuclear doctrine unveiled after the tests, India had said it would not be the first to launch a nuclear strike though it retained the right to launch a response to an attack.
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