Indian Nuclear Policy : South Asian Perspective

Indian's nuclear policy has evolved since 1947, within the framework of domestic and international compulsions. The policy that began as to harness nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and self-sufficiency an a supplementary goal, has achieved a peculiar security dimension over the years. The threats and challenges growing all around have made it imperaige for us to keep constant vigil and to remain alert against all possible eventualities. Taking into consideration, India's external threat environment has undergone revolutionary and evolutionary change at both regional and global threat (security) environment reflected in the Indian nuclear policy, with relevance to : i)Changing strategic environment in South Asia. ii)Super powers rivarly among the littoral states and movement in the Indian Ocean. iii)Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. iv)Pakistan's nuclear programme and arms built-up with Pakistan - US - China axix. These factors have produced significant shifts in the nuclear policy and have maintained a 'deliberate vague doctrine' of ambiguity. Seeing the South Asian security scenerio around India, the dissertation present four options to deter potential nuclear threats.