PAKISTAN'S AMBIGUOUS NUCLEAR DOCTRINE PRIMA FACIE DETERRENCE AIMED AT WAR AVOIDANCE AND INDIA'S QUEST FOR COMPELLENCE

Abstract

Nuclear weapons are not war-fighting arsenals but weapons of deterrence, which is articulated through nuclear doctrine. Nuclear doctrine provides a framework that determines development, deployment, and conditions in which states may consider its use. All nuclear states, except Pakistan, have declared the First Use and No First Use policy. Pakistan has adopted a different approach and has not publicly declared its nuclear doctrine, leaving it vague and ambiguous. However, statements of significant officials denote scattered strands of Pakistani nuclear doctrine, which led to the policy of Full Spectrum Deterrence. Full Spectrum Deterrence is neither a first-use nor no-first-use policy; instead, it is a military capability to avoid wars that deter India across the entire threat spectrum and prevent India from attempting any aggression in all continuums of warfare. This has limited Indian aggressive capabilities and forced a rethinking of its NFU, including its conventional doctrine for achieving compellence benefits against Pakistan.

Bibliography Entry

Narejo, Ghulam Shabeer, Prof Dr. Zulfqar Khan and Dr. Ahmad Khan. 2024. "Pakistan's Ambiguous Nuclear Doctrine Prima Facie Deterrence Aimed at War Avoidance and India's Quest for Compellence." Strategic Thought (6): 41-56.