A country in which millions live homeless and hungry has launched a largely indigenous submarine and surface to surface missile with a range of 150 miles within three days of each other. Why? In its typical double speak India con- tends that these are defensive capabilities but how is an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile program capable of nuclear payloads defensive?
Indian military budget has increased four and half times within the last ten years. It rose from Rs. 30,000 million in 1979 to 135,000 million in 1989. The WSN report last week enumerated numerous other weapons programs under advanced stages of development in India. Many state of the art aircrafts, guns and even a nuclear powered submarine have been imported from Russia and western countries. This massive military might behoove ill for the sub- continent.
India started the nuclear race in the region by exploding a nuclear device in 1971. It has consistently refused to sign the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. Its nuclear ambitions are no secret and the Pentagon predicts, perhaps conservatively, that “by the late 1990’s India may have medium and even intercontinental range ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.
Yet at the United Nations and other forums, as recently as last week, India speaks of the “terrible nuclear threat” and asks for denuclearization. Such sanctimoniousness is but expected from India.
The massive increase in military budget of India cannot be justified on grounds of defense needs. It has already by far the most powerful military machine in the subcontinent.
Since 1947 India has been flexing its military muscle. It invaded the princely state of Hyderabad and the Portuguese colony of Goa soon after it became independent, it launched its forces to divide Pakistan in 1971 and has been giving aid to the Soviet backed Najibullah regime against the Afghan freedom fighters since late 1970’s.
India sees itself as a regional power. Its neighbors see it as. a bully. India’s meddling in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal have undone decades of diplomatic initiatives. When a nation arms itself it often does it to seek to divert the attention of its populace from domestic failures, It often seeks a visible minority as a scapegoat, just as Hitler sought the Jews and the Gandhi family the Sikhs, and is eventually caught in a situation in which the armed might has to be used internally and externally.
Indian army has been used to quell popular movements which expressed the aspirations of the people in Nagaland, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Kashmir etc. It has been increasingly used to ‘crush the freedom movement in Punjab and to brutalize the Sikhs in the state. India has already tasted blood as the self-proclaimed policeman of the subcontinent. It sent troops to Maldives and Sri Lanka and only under pressure has it agreed to withdraw them. Further military buildup by India will only exacerbate the situation in the region. The world should not take Indian statements about being peaceful at their face value and should force India to back its words with actions.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 13, 1989
