WASHINGTON, April 27 (PNS):
Stating that New Delhi's "overconfidence" about its ability to keep
its nuclear weapons and materials from falling into terrorist hands
could be misplaced, a report by US policymakers and think-tanks has
warned that the country's multi-ethnic society may pose a serious
danger to its arsenal.
"India is a multi-ethnic society with the world's
second-largest Muslim population, and Arab fighters could blend into
Indian society," reports PTI referring to a report, prepared during
a conference in Washington by the NGO Stanley Foundation of IOWA.
The vulnerability of Indian nuclear weapons or
material to theft or diversion was an "overlooked" matter, it said
adding it was "unclear whether Delhi has given serious consideration
to this potential in the light of official overconfidence about the
security of India's nuclear weapons."
The report also expressed concern about the danger of
Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of Islamic
fundamentalists in case of a coup.
Several observers were of the opinion that, in such a
scenario, the US military should be ready to provide security over
the nuclear weapons or even to take the weapons out of Pakistan
entirely without the permission of Pakistani authorities, David
Albright, president and founder of the Institute for Science and
International Security, said.
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