What is the nuclear button and briefcase, and how relevant are they in the case of India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam attacks?
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00:00As the Pahlgaon terror attack triggered an alarming diplomatic standoff between India and Pakistan,
00:23the N-word was emerging as the silent elephant in the room.
00:26Exactly six years ago, in April of 2019, Prime Minister Modi called out Pakistan's nuclear bluffs.
00:34He also added that he had personally visited Pakistan and checked their nuke power.
00:41But is the nuclear button just a threat or something more?
00:44In the United States, a single person is authorized to make the decision to use the nuclear weapon,
00:49the President.
00:51This power is absolute and no federal department can prevent its use once the presidential
00:55order is given.
00:56In most other nuclear powers, there exists a sophisticated command and control mechanism
01:00for the use of the button, with a nuclear briefcase kept near the leader of the state at all times
01:05in many countries.
01:07India and Pakistan have both established councils to authorize the use of nuclear weapons.
01:12In Pakistan, orders to launch require consensus among the NCA or National Command Authority
01:17members, which was designed to imitate a board of directors.
01:20The NCA was created under General Parvez Musharraf's military government to institutionalize command
01:26and control over Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.
01:29As of 2024, Pakistan is believed to have won 70 nuclear warheads, which include land-based
01:34missiles, air-launched weapons and sea-based systems.
01:37Also, unlike India, Pakistan has not adopted the no-first-use or NFU policy to keep its options
01:43open.
01:44Meanwhile, India's nuclear strategy is based on the Credible Minimum Deterrence Principle,
01:48with an aim to cause minimal deterrence as opposed to mutually assured destruction.
01:53By January of 2024, India had increased its nuclear warheads from 164 to 172, whereas Pakistan's
02:00count has remained unchanged at 170.
02:03But it takes a lot more than a button to launch a nuclear war.
02:06The nuclear gear needs to be fueled for starters, a process that can take hours.
02:10So is the nuclear button just a scary catchphrase?
02:13Well, the phrase can be traced back to World War II, when panic buttons were used by bombers
02:18to signal damage.
02:19Pakistan's nuclear weapon development was in response to the loss of the 1971 Bangladesh
02:24Liberation War, under the then PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and is one of the 9 states in the
02:29world that possess nuclear weapons.
02:32Keeping a nuclear weapon isn't cheap, and it's noteworthy that even amidst an economic
02:36and food crisis, Pakistan is increasing its nuclear arsenal despite exorbitant fuel costs
02:42and outages.
02:43In fact, if current trends continue, it could reach 200-plus warheads in the coming years.
02:47What are your thoughts on nuclear politics?
02:49Let us know in the comments below.