PAKISTAN,S MISSLIE TARGETING STRATEGY AND MISSILE ARSENAL. part 2............

  Future Perspectives


In terms of future perspectives , the following can be said about Pakistan’s missile build-up:

* Pakistan’s missile force would form the main delivery system for its nuclear weapons.

* Pakistan’s emphasis on a "credible minimum deterrent" would call for matching responses to India’s missile developments in terms of ranges and payloads. This would imply that the GHAURI and SHAHEEN series would receive priorities in terms of range and payload modifications.

* Pakistani SRBMs and MRBMs priorities would be more to build up numbers to withstand both conventional and nuclear attrition.

* In terms of ICBM capability, Pakistan would definitely aspire for it, but a host of factors are stacked against them. Even China, Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and missiles benefactor would hesitate to impart ICBM capability to Pakistan, for strategic reasons.

Despite the dismal state of Pakistan’s economy, her nuclear weapons and missiles build-up programmes have never stood impeded. China for strategic reasons and oil-rich Middle East countries for Islamic solidarity reasons have provided the wherewithal and finances. Substantial amounts of drug money also stands ploughed into these programmes by the Pakistani military.

In terms of future perspectives, it can be said that Pakistan’s missile build-up would continue unabated.

Conclusion

Pakistan’s missile build-up all along has been India-centric. Unlike India, which has to take the China threat into consideration, Pakistan has the luxury to focus its entire missile build-up on Indian developments.

Strategically, Pakistan has today not only offset India’s overwhelming conventional military superiority by its nuclear weaponisation but also acquired a missile force which in terms of speed of acquisition outstrips India’s pace of development of missiles. China prominently and DPRK by proxy have significantly contributed to Pakistan’s missile build-up. China has even provided a complete plant in 1995 to produce M-11 nuclear capable M-11 missiles and their variants in Pakistan.

India has no political or military options to limit Pakistan’s nuclear weaponisation and missile build-up. Pakistan can only be limited by India imposing an economically unaffordable counter-buildup in these fields- uneconomical for Pakistan and its benefactors too, thats exactly what they are trying to do with pakistan. Needless to say that this is an imperative if peace and stability have to prevail in South Asia, because india will have to stop going ahead in missile and weapons of mass destruction program. If india doesnt stop, it will be necessary for pakistan to keep upgrading this stuff to be careful of indian aggressivness.