NEW DELHI — The missiles that streaked across India and Pakistan this week highlighted the determination of the two South Asian countries to push ahead with their nuclear weapons plans--and the futility of U.S. efforts to stop them.
On Sunday, Indian leaders proudly announced the successful test-firing of an advanced ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to targets in Pakistan and China. On Wednesday, the Pakistani government responded in kind with the firing of a new missile of its own--capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to many of India's largest cities.
And today, Pakistan tested a second nuclear-capable missile, Associated Press reported official sources as saying. The newest missile was believed to be the Shaheen I and to have a range of 450 miles, considerably less than the ballistic missile Pakistan tested Wednesday.
A Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement said today's test "concludes, for now, the series of . . . flight tests involving solid and liquid fuel rocket motor technologies, which started yesterday."
The nations' missile tests represent a dangerous new phase in the arms race here, which grabbed the world's attention last year when both India and Pakistan exploded underground nuclear devices. The ominous signal from the missile tests is that each side is moving toward the deployment of nuclear weapons.
"India will produce the Agni II," said K. Subrahmanyum, who advises the Indian government on defense issues, referring to the Indian missile tested Sunday. "It's clear that the missile is the core of the Indian plans for nuclear deterrence."
The missile launches are the latest symbol of a rapidly deteriorating security environment in South Asia. Not only are India and Pakistan expanding their military competition, but many experts fear that China, which shares a disputed border with India and already possesses nuclear weapons, will feel compelled to respond.
"We are going backward now," said Joseph Cirincione, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. "India and Pakistan are steadily moving toward the deployment of nuclear weapons."
The tests represent a big setback for the Clinton administration, which for the past year has been trying to persuade Indian and Pakistani leaders to step back from the brink. The U.S. imposed limited economic sanctions after India and Pakistan tested nuclear devices last year and has made a ban on missile tests one of the main efforts of its diplomacy.
