THE ESCALATING PAK-INDIA DILEMMA AMID STRATEGIC AND INTERNAL TURMOIL

Abstract

This paper discusses the widening imbalance in nuclear capabilities between Pakistan and India and how it exacerbates the nuclear dilemma in Southern Asia. India’s modernization of its nuclear arsenal has prompted Pakistan to fortify its own deterrent amidst domestic instability. It seeks to highlight contributing factors that worsen the dilemma such as internal conflicts, heightened nationalism, terrorism, history of mistrust, and civilian control, or the lack thereof in Pakistan’s case. The complexity of this intense rivalry has perpetuated the cycle of action and reaction, balancing and under balancing, which been examined through the lens of neo-classical realism. The findings reveal that the volatility surrounding the nuclear dilemma is further amplified by the presence and testing of nuclear weapons. The recent successful test of India's Agni-V missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, has been met with concern by Pakistan for undermining its minimum deterrence thereby raising tensions between the two nuclear rivals.