The Prithvi's destabilising effect on the security environment from Pakistan's perspective is evident from the fact that with its short flight time, Pakistan's Reaction time to the pre-emptive launch of the missile is less than three minutes. Carried on mobile launchers and requiring little preparation time, the Operationalisation of the Prithvi missile marked a qualitative change in the strategic landscape.

India recently announced that its indigenously developed long range Agni missile, which can be equipped with military warheads and is capable of hitting targets as far away as Beijing, is ready for mass production. The weapon can carry a nuclear war head up to 1500 Kilometres. The Indian government has also approved and advanced Agni system with a target range of 2500 kilometers. Some years ago, India carried out three test launching of the Agni, but then had stopped further tests because of American pressure. Now this cap has been removed. It may be worth noting that Agni is a copy of the US scout missile. Agni's architect, Dr Abdul Kalam, received four months training in 1963-64 at NASA's Langley Research Centre in Virginia (Where US scout rocket was designed) and the Wallops Island Flight Centre on the Virginia coast (where the scout was flight tested). Surya is an inter-continental ballistic missile with a range of 12,000 kms to 20,000 kms. On the day of three Indian explosions, India also test fired a home-made short range missile, the Trishul (Trident) missile, which was tested at the Chandipur firing range in the eastern state of Orissa. The Trishul, which has a range of 50 kilometres, is being developed as surface-to-surface and surface-to-air weapon to be used by Indian Navy. Russia is also assisting India in developing Sagariks, a 200 kilometer range, sea based ballistic missile that can carry a nuclear war head and can strike deep inside Pakistan.

Compounding Pakistan's concern were credible reports of India's pursuit of an anti-ballistic missile capability. Having embarked on upgrading the Akash medium range surface-to-air missile since 1994, and subsequently conducting 10 tests, Delhi began more recently, to seek an anti-tactical ballistic missile (ATBM) capability for this. It started negotiating with Russia for an advanced air defence system with an ATBM capability, and also looking at Israeli missile defence, particularly the Arrow and Phalcon systems and associated technologies. Indians are also making efforts to acquire Theatre Missile Defence System (TMDS) from Russia.

Pakistan's modest Atomic Energy commission started about 15 years after the Indian program. There are some unconfirmed reports that during 1965, President Ayub Khan had taken some strange decisions under influence of Indian nuclear threat. After 1965, the defence planners realised how late we were in the nuclear technology. Since then Pakistan has been working with a modest speed and budget. The real boost was given by Prime Minister Bhutto, in 1972, immediately after Pakistan had been cut to half with Indian connivance. Another jump to Pakistan's nuclear program was in the shape of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan joining them in 1976. Pakistan scientists have access to working with tritium (Since 1987), uranium (since inception) and Plutonium (Since 1996). Pakistani scientists preferred working with Uranium (as compared to Plutonium) because, as Dr A.Q. Khan put it Both are fission materials but the technologies are different. Plutonium needs a more arduous and hazardous procedure. It is a cumbersome and expensive process. Uranium is more difficult but safe. Very few countries have this technology. Last May 28, Pakistan exploded five devices. One was a boosted uranium device of 40-45 Kilotons, with four tests of low yield for small tactical weapons. Again on May 30, an 18 kilotons device was exploded, basically for tactical accomplishments and data availability for computer simulation. Similarly against a barrage of Indian missiles, we have exhibited only Ghauri (Fifth in Hatf series) as any worthy reply. This missile has a range of 1500 Kilometers and can carry nuclear weapons of payload 700 kg. The American military analysts consider Pakistan ahead of India in the quality of missiles. Financially also Pakistan has been doing a wonderful job, the project Manhattan costs were 22 billion dollars in those days, Indian has spent 142 billion dollars against 4.0 billion dollars by Pakistan in the last twenty five years (1994-98) on their nuclear adventures.

In western terminology, the weapons possessed by India and Pakistan are basically of two types. The so-called medium range weapons are those that can strike at targets beyond 900 kilometers, but under 5,500 kilometers, and the lower tier are called as tactical nuclear weapons. (Weapons of higher range are called intercontinental ballistic missiles). These weapons can be land-based missiles (either fixed in silos or mobile), long-range bombers type and submarine launched missiles. The land-based missiles are most vulnerable to pre-emptive attack because their location on land is generally known. Submarine based are safest from pre-emptive attack, as the submarines that carry them can disappear into the huge oceans. Bombers are much easier to detect, and therefore are less useful in a pre-emptive strike, and because they are slow, they are also less likely to reach their targets.

These nuclear bombs and missiles have completely changed the equation of strategic balance or even the fundamental concept of war. In olden days the attack of armies were known many months in advance, and time for preparation was always there. The advent of air power brought great speeds in attack, but air attack was considered futile unless supported by ground forces. In those conventional times, monitoring the movement of enemy forces and a surprise attack were considered winning ingredients. Now, when only two old-technology bombs could change the whole course of World War II, what can and will the latest technological weapons of mass destruction do if the buttons are in the hands of a mad man?. The fundamental change was that whereas the previous wars could be conceived of as useful instruments of policy, a nuclear war could only result in the death of the planet. We would be left with republic of Insects And Grass. By standards of modern warfare, the first nuclear weapon was puny. The Hiroshima bomb had the explosive power of 20,000 tons of TNT, but the typical superpower weapons of 90's are much more devastating and are measured in megatons, i.e.; millions of tons of TNT. For example, in 1990 USA had 7,100 equivalent megatons of explosive powder (1350 ICBM's 720 SLBM's, 450 Bombers, 18,000 warheads), whereas Russia had 13,000 equivalent megatons with 1700 ICBM's, 1300 SLBM's, 200 bombers and 20,000 warheads.2 If a one- megaton bomb exploded over the American city of Detroit, it would destroy all brick houses in a three-and-a-half mile radius, killing half a million people outright, and many more from wounds and radiation. The Americans developed a triad of forces (sea, land and aircraft based) so that if war should come, at a minimum, one fifth to one third of Soviet population could be killed in retaliatory strikes and a half to two third Soviet industry destroyed. Once again in the language of the nuclear strategy, this was called Assured Destruction. When the Soviet Union began to evolve towards a similar capability, there was said to be a balance of deterrence based on Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). In this case as well as in the case of all the nuclear weapons, the acronym (MAD) is certainly apt.

A PARTIAL LIST OF INDIAN NUCLEAR RESOUCES & FACILITIES

URANIUM DEPOSIT - 50,000 tons
THORIUM DEPOSITS - 500 million tons of ore of 10% cone. This is the largest reserve of the world.
NUCLEAR FUEL COMPLEX - At Hyderabad completed in 1972, output 100 tons/ of natural Uo2 fuel
assemblies, 24 tons of enriched fuel; Ziroconium components; indigenous efforts.
RESEARCH REACTORS.
ASPRA - Swimming Pool Type- Indigenous efforts- Commissioned
CIRUS - 40 MW HRW- Canadian Assistance - Commissioned.
ZERLINE - Zero Energy- Fast reactor - Indigenous - Under construction
KALPKKAM - Fast breeder research reactor-Under construction
POWER REACTORS
TARAPUR I. 200 MW BWR, US supplied, operational.
TARAPUR II. 200 MW BWR, US supplied, operational.
RAJHASTAN I. 202 MW CANDU, Canadian supplied, commissioned in 1973
RAJASTHAN II. 202 MW CANDU, originally Canadian supplied, now indigenous, commissioned in 1982.
KALPAKKAM I. 220 MW CANDU, Locally designed and built, Under construction, delay in commissioning.
KALPAKKAM II. 220 MW, CANDU Locally designed and built.
NARORA I. 220 MW CANDU Locally designed & built.
NARORA II. 220 MW CANDU Locally designed & built
REPROCESSING PLANTS (All Indigenously Built)
TROMBAY I. Metal Uo2, low enrichment, 50 tons U/year
TROMBAY II. Uranium Oxide Thorium, Lab Scale facility
TARAPUR. Metal Uo2, low enrichment, 100 tons U/year
KALAPAKKAM. 50 tons U/year to be increased to 125 tons/year
HEAVY WATER PLANTS
NANGAL. 14 TONS/Yr.- 1962
KOTA. 100 TONS/Yr.- 1982
BARODA. 67.2 tons/Yr. - 1979
TUTICORN. 71.3 tons/year- 1979
TALCHER. 62.7 tons /Yr. - 1983
RESEARCH CENTRES
BARC BHABHA. Atomic Research centre founded 1948
TIFR. Tata institute of fundamental research 1945
SINP. Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics 1950
KALPAKKAM. Breeder research Centre
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Local Reactor Manufacturing facility
Fast Breeder Reactor Development
Uranium Enrichment
Laser triggered fusion & conventional one
Thorium development
Pu Fuel Rods substitution
Plowshare /bomb development including thermonuclear device.

REFERENCES
1. The Absolute Weapon by Bernard Brodie
2. Guide To the World Today by Gerald Segal