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India could change No First Use Nuclear Policy - Defence Minister
[NDTV] New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today underscored that India reserves the right to change its policy of 'No First Use', which has been the cornerstone of India's nuclear weapons policy for decades. The government firmly stands by its 'No First Use' policy but "what happens in the future will depend on the circumstances," the minister said at Pokhran in Rajasthan, the site of two nuclear tests by India.

"Pokhran is the area which witnessed Atalji (former prime minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee's) firm resolve to make India a nuclear power and yet remain firmly committed to the doctrine of 'No First Use'. It is true that till now, India has strictly adhered to the 'No First Use' policy. What happens in the future depends on the circumstances," Rajnath Singh told reporters in Pokhran, where he attended the closing ceremony of the Army Scout Master competition in Pokhran.

The ruling BJP's manifesto for the 2014 elections included a promise to "revise and update India's nuclear doctrine". But while campaigning for that election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had dismissed a question on scrapping the No First Use policy in an interview to news agency ANI. "No First Use was a great initiative of Atal Bihari Vajpayee - there is no compromise on that. We are very clear. No First Use is a reflection of our cultural inheritance," he had said in April 2014, on the verge of an election in which he stormed to power.
The wording suggests their mind is made up, pretty much.
This is not the first time in the last few years that BJP leaders have said it was time to amend India's position. In November 2016, then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had expressed reservations over India's nuclear posture. More recently, Lieutenant General BS Nagpal, the former commander-in-chief of the Strategic Forces Command, is reported to have said that the No First Use policy was a 'formula for disaster.'
If Imran Khan's panties were in a bunch over Kashmir, watch him freak out on this as he paces outside the UNSC hall.

Posted by: Dron66046 2019-08-17
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=548212