In Pursuit of a Grand Strategy: An Explanation of Pakistan’s Evolving Nuclear Policy

Explaining, investigating and analysing South Asian security scene in the post-Cold War takes into account overt nuclearisation by India and Pakistan in 1998 and the changing perceptions and requirements of national security as reflected in the policy formulations on nuclear strategy. For Pakistan, comprehensive deliberations on security problematique is addressed within the gambit of its newly acquired nuclear weapons and in the shaping and evolution of its nuclear doctrine. The paper addresses Pakistan's nuclear doctrine by critically examining the following aspects: (a) Conceptualising Risk paradigm and situating Pakistan's fragile regime (b) Nuclear First Strike Option versus No First Use (c) Institutional arrangements related to setting up of nuclear command (c) Delineating the notion of nuclear threshold (d) Examining viability of Limited War concept. Specific proposals floated by Pakistan toward strategic restraint regime will also be analyzed. Finally, the paper will address the current peace dialogue between India and Pakistan and how that could affect latter's strategic perspective in the long term