Reference Auto

India has finally unveiled the nuclear-capable Agni-V missile and the Chinese government as well as its press are fuming (afraid?) about the development, trying to play it down, saying that India’s military preparedness is inadequate and the country will find it difficult to transport the heavy missile as the infrastructure in India is dismal.

China has also stated that India needs an “improvement” in its missile plan. So, with China going out of the way to lambast us, does it not indicate that a fear psychosis has gripped the country’s government as India, for the first time, has become a “true” threat to its big neighbour.

This launch has given a fillip to the defence sector like never before.

Unless we see some major defence scams (a sector which never has a dearth of scandals, the latest being the Tatra deal where the American trucks were procured at inflated prices), growth in this crucial sector is unlikely to slow down.

In fact, India could also be going ahead with the Surya missile plan, which has been kept under wraps by the central government.

The Surya could be capable of hitting targets 12,000 kms away with precision and target almost the entire US.

The 17.5 metre-tall and two metre-wide Agni-V missile, with a launch weight of nearly 50 tonne, including a 1.5 tonne dummy warhead, is a three-stage rocket capable of striking distances up to 5,000 km.

The three-stage Agni-V (a derivative of Agni-III) has solid fuel in the third stage. In fact, the Agni-III can be upgraded to Agni-V in a very short time and used to hit enemy targets. The Agni-V would become a part of India’s defence arsenal in about a couple of years.

Now, does India actually need to fear that the South Asian region will become unstable, owing to its new leap? In fact, with the new Agni missile triggering fear in China (and Pakistan), the country is unlikely to attack India even in the long term.

India needs to maintain a minimum deterrent of this nuclear-capable missile for it to spark fear in not only China and Pakistan but also countries in Arabia, Russia, half of Africa and deep inside Europe, where the Agni-V can penetrate.

So, how does fear help? Fear actually helps in bringing stability. It can be said for sure that India and Pakistan will not be going to war even in the medium term because the two neighbours are nuclear powers. But had the countries not been nuclear capable, they could have probably seen more conflicts.

Nuclear weapons capability has also ended the enmity between the US and the erstwhile USSR. It has brought peace to the world, with major powers not confronting each other in the last few decades.

However, only if terrorists get their hands on these nukes, could it spark danger.

Like, if ultras in Pakistan access these nukes, they could try to use them and trigger a “heavy response” from India, leading to a full-fledged nuclear war.

Pakistan has three power centres, the army, the ISI and the government. And, who controls their nukes is difficult to guess.

On the other hand, if Iran provokes Israel with a nuclear explosion, Israel could respond, forcing the entire Middle East to turn into a war zone.

So, if China, Pakistan and other nations are afraid of India’s nuclear capabilities, it could prevent a war and bring stability.