Key Takeaways
- Pakistan's National Command Authority Adviser, Lt Gen Khalid Kidwai, warned India against creating strategic imbalances.
- Pakistan will review its deployment options to restore strategic balance, citing India's nuclear posture changes.
- India's reported deployment of nuclear warheads on submarines raises concerns about its No-First-Use policy.
Adviser to the National Command Authority, retired Lt Gen Khalid Kidwai, warned India against attempting to alter the strategic balance in South Asia during the second Islamabad Non-Proliferation Conference.
Pakistan stated that it would review and reconsider all options for appropriate deployments to restore strategic balance and stability, while maintaining its policy of strategic ambiguity.
Kidwai highlighted India's reported deployment of around 12 nuclear warheads on a submarine for deterrence patrols, alongside missile modernisation and recent military confrontations.
These developments cast doubt on India's declared No-First-Use policy, according to Kidwai, who cited the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s SIPRI Yearbook 2026 and other publicly available information.
Kidwai emphasized that India’s ability to maintain a continuous at sea deterrent further undermines the credibility of its No-First-Use policy, pointing to a more offensive nuclear posture.
He also questioned the absence of advance notification for Indian submarine launched ballistic missile tests, warning that such developments could heighten the risk of miscalculation during a crisis.
Referring to the February 2019 confrontation, Kidwai said India had reportedly deployed its Arihant nuclear submarine in the Indian Ocean after carrying out air strikes near Balakot, presumably with nuclear weapons aboard.
Pakistan reserves the right to undertake all appropriate measures to safeguard its national security and preserve strategic balance in the region under all circumstances, Kidwai stated.
He urged India to understand the implications of Pakistan’s Full Spectrum Deterrence policy, warning that India would be well advised to read and re-read it.
Pakistan will review and reconsider all options for appropriate deployments in order to restore the strategic balance and strategic stability while retaining the policy of strategic ambiguity.
Lt Gen Khalid Kidwai, Adviser to the National Command Authority
I do not see any reason as to why an SIPRI report might be inaccurate or speculative.
Lt Gen Khalid Kidwai, Adviser to the National Command Authority
Pakistan reserves the right to undertake all appropriate measures to safeguard its national security and preserve strategic balance in the region under all circumstances.
Lt Gen Khalid Kidwai, Adviser to the National Command Authority
