'Historic blunder': Himanta says India missed chance to stop Pak become nuclear state

NEW DELHI: Assam main ministerHimanta Biswa Sarma said connected Saturday that the Congress made a "historic blunder" by allowing Pakistan to go a atomic powerfulness successful the 1980s without taking action. He said Pakistan has since utilized "nuclear blackmail" to artifact planetary intervention."At a clip erstwhile nations contiguous enactment decisively to neutralise atomic threats, India’s tragic inaction during the 1980s remains a cautionary communicative of what could person been—and what wasn't," the Assam CM said successful a agelong station connected X.

Sarma said quality from R&AW had confirmed Pakistan’s uranium enrichment astatine Kahuta. In his station titled "Congress's Historic Blunder: How India Let Pakistan Become a Nuclear State", helium claimed Israel offered help—from intel to associated onslaught planning.

He said Jamnagar Air Base was shortlisted arsenic a motorboat tract and the Indian subject supported a pre-emptive onslaught connected Kahuta."India had the capableness and statement to destruct the menace earlier it became a reality. Yet astatine the past minute: Indira Gandhi hesitated, fearing planetary fallout," the main curate alleged. He added that Rajiv Gandhi aboriginal "shelved the plan, prioritising diplomacy implicit deterrence nether overseas pressure".

According to Sarma, successful 1988 Rajiv Gandhi signed a no-strike atomic pact with Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto, pledging not to onslaught each other’s atomic sites. He noted, "A decennary later, Pakistan tested atomic weapons successful 1998. India was pulled into a costly atomic arms race. Kargil, proxy panic wars, and cross-border strikes person since occurred nether Pakistan’s atomic shield.""To this day, Pakistan uses atomic blackmail to deter planetary enactment and legitimize its rogue behaviour," helium said. Sarma besides accused the CPI(M), an INDIA bloc ally, of promising successful their 2024 manifesto to rotation backmost India’s atomic deterrent if elected. “Where beardown enactment demands resoluteness and foresight, Congress offered caution and delay. A historical model to safeguard India’s semipermanent information was squandered—for short-term diplomatic comfort,” helium said.