India nuclear weapons: India and Pakistan both have nuclear weapons

FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Pakistan carried out air strikes and shot down two Indian jets on Wednesday, Pakistani officials said today. The shocking strike comes just a day after Indian warplanes struck inside Pakistan for the first time since a war in 1971, prompting fears World War 3 could break out imminently. And according to Brian Toon, a Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, a war between India and Pakistan could bring a nuclear winter which would “destroy civilisation”.

Does India have nuclear weapons? Both India and Pakistan have ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. India has nine types of operational missiles, including the Agni-3, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. In 2018, India spent four trillion rupees (£43,77billion), or just over two percent of its gross domestic product, to support its 1.4 million active troops.

India nuclear weapons: Pakistan claims to have shot down two Indian fighter jets

As of December 2017, India was estimated to have a stockpile of around 130 warheads. History of India's nuclear weapons program In the 1960s, India rejected the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) on the grounds it created a world of nuclear "haves" and "have-nots”. India also asserted it would not give international control over their nuclear weapons unless all other countries engaged in unilateral disarmament. However, the country maintains its nuclear program was primarily “peaceful” - despite later weaponising more than 20 nukes for delivery by air between 1988 and 1990.

An agreement was reached between the US and India following discussions between US President George W Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh , who announced plans to conclude an Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement. The agreement was made through a series of steps, including the separation of India’s civil and military nuclear programs in March 2006. The US State Department said it made it "very clear that we will not recognise India as a nuclear-weapon state” and vowed to cease all cooperation with India should a nuclear device be detonated. Pakistan also has its own nuclear weapons program. The airstrikes this week mark the first time in history that two nuclear-armed powers have done so.

India nuclear weapons: Tensions are rapidly escalating between India and Pakistan

India vs Pakistan - latest on air strikes Tensions escalated after a suicide car bombing by Pakistan-based militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police on February 14. But on Tuesday, India launched an air strike on what it claimed was a militant training base - dramatically raising the risk of conflict. The attack targeted the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a group which claimed credit for the Vanetines Day suicide attack. But in conflicting reports, India said a large number of JeM fighters had been killed while Pakistani officials insisted the strikes caused no casualties.

People burn portraits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an anti-Indian protest in Pakistan