Pakistan and China both are quantitatively superior in terms of nuclear weapons and warheads against their regional rival India, according to an annual report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
However, that may number may not be fully accurate.
“The governments of India and Pakistan make statements about some of their missile tests but provide no information about the status or size of their arsenals,” the Stockholm-based think-tank said in its report.
“At the start of 2020, nine states—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea—possessed approximately 13,400 nuclear weapons, of which 3,720 were deployed with operational forces. Approximately 1800 of these are kept in a state of high operational alert,” the SIPRI report added.
The report said that China’s nuclear warhead count is around 320, which is more than double than India, and the country is also expanding its inventory.
Among nuclear nations, Pakistan ranks sixth with 160 nuclear warheads, the report stated, calling it a significant development in terms of beefing up of arsenal.
The SIPRI Year Book 2020 states that India increased its nuclear weapons last year from 130-140 to 150; however, the number that Pakistan possesses is still higher, at 160.
The report said that India and Pakistan are increasing their arsenal considerably. “India’s spending of $71.1 billion ranked it as the third-largest spender for the first time,” it read.
On a positive note, there is currently no deployment of nuclear warheads in the South Asia region.
