A fresh report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the world's most respected watchdog on nuclear arsenals, has clearly unsettled Islamabad. Its standout claim is that, for the first time in its history, India has moved part of its nuclear arsenal out of mere storage (stockpile) and into ready-for-war operational deployment. The moment the report surfaced, the reaction from Pakistan's Foreign Ministry betrayed visible unease.
Pakistan Itself Admits India's Edge
At his weekly briefing, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ambassador Tahir Andrabi, conceded that India's nuclear capability has grown well beyond international estimates. Worried by this striking power, Pakistan is now turning to global forums, appealing to countries that supply modern weapons to India to immediately freeze those military shipments to New Delhi.
Five Key Takeaways From the Report
- Active deployment for the first time: According to SIPRI, India has, for the first time, kept a portion of its nuclear weapons in fully active deployed mode.
- 12 warheads ready to strike: India is believed to currently hold around 190 nuclear warheads, of which 12 have been classified as operationally deployed — meaning they can be launched instantly in any emergency.
- Fear of canisterisation: What worries Pakistan most is the canisterisation of Indian missiles, in which the warhead sits sealed inside the missile beforehand, allowing a launch within a very short window at the push of a button.
- A maturing nuclear triad: After land and air, India has rounded out its nuclear triad at sea through nuclear-capable submarines and long-range ICBMs.
- Pleas at global forums: Having fallen behind in a direct contest, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has urged the international community to stop military supplies to New Delhi.
Why Is Pakistan So Rattled?
Two technological and strategic shifts lie behind Pakistan's anxiety. The first is canisterisation. Traditionally, India kept its nuclear warheads and missiles apart, which meant preparing for a strike took time. But with canisterised missiles such as the Agni-V, the warhead now stays permanently fitted inside the missile. In plain terms, India's operational readiness is no longer a matter of days or hours but of mere minutes.
A Strike Possible From Land, Air or Sea
The second major reason is India's steadily strengthening nuclear triad — the ability to launch a nuclear strike from land, air and sea alike. Thanks to Arihant-class nuclear submarines, India's second-strike capability — the power to absorb a first nuclear blow and still retaliate — is now fully secure. Mired in a deep economic crisis and with a defence budget that comes nowhere near India's, Pakistan is in no position to match this technological lead. To mask that desperation, it laments a broken strategic balance at international platforms, while India, holding firm to its 'No First Use' policy, is simply making its sovereignty impregnable.
Pakistan Invokes Indian ICBMs to Alarm the World
A former Pakistani military officer, Lieutenant General (retd) Mazhar Jamil, claimed that India's long-range missile programme harbours ambitions stretching far beyond South Asia — to targets including global superpowers and the capitals of Western nations. He appealed to global powers to take note. India currently fields a powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) like the Agni-V, with a range of 5,000 to 8,000 kilometres. Alongside it, the nuclear-capable Agni-4 and the sea-launched K-4 and K-5 missiles make India a superpower with an unerring nuclear triad.
The Story in Questions and Answers
What is the biggest revelation about India's nuclear weapons in the SIPRI report?
For the first time, the report states that out of its total of roughly 190 nuclear warheads, India has placed 12 in the 'operationally deployed' category rather than keeping them merely in storage. This marks a major strategic shift in military readiness in India's nuclear history.
What is canisterisation, and why does it frighten Pakistan so much?
It is an advanced technology in which the warhead is sealed and fitted inside the missile in advance. This saves the time otherwise lost in assembling a missile during a crisis, allowing it to be fired almost instantly. Pakistan fears that, because of this technology, India's retaliatory speed has now become even deadlier.
