Nuclear Weapons, Non-proliferation and Nuclear Disarmament: Evolving Policy Challenges

The nuclear issue has so far been handled in a compartmentalised form; India's weapons programme has been so shrouded in secrecy that speculation and uninformed assertions are frequently taken as reflecting policy. At the same time, India's articulation of her policy priorities were ambiguous at best, till fairly recently. Most challenging has been the break-down of the domestic consensus in Parliament on this vital security issue of India. There are some signs that there is greater coordination between different government departments on some parts of the strategic programme. But knowledge, even of what other nuclear armed states have permitted to public scrutiny, remains a preserve of a small and exclusive group till some details are revealed almost accidentally. The challenges are there to be seen by all; how India proposes to deal with these challenges needs to be more broadly known, rather than presenting the public with carefully worded statements which, might, and frequently are, misrepresented. To make the policies coherent and more easily understood, the need for political consensus remains essential. This should be a major task before the Government.