India: Nuclear Deterrent Averted War
June 19, 2002
By Rajesh Mahapatra, Associated Press Writer
NEW DELHI, India –– The nuclear arsenals of India and Pakistan are what have prevented a fourth war between them, the former military scientist chosen to be India's next president said Wednesday.
"Nuclear deterrents on both sides have helped avert a war," said A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who developed India's missile program and played a key role in making it a nuclear power.
Kalam his expected election to the presidency by lawmakers will send "the right signal" to the world.
"The right signal is that technology is going to boost (economic) development of our nation," Kalam said at his first news conference after being nominated Tuesday by the governing coalition and the main opposition party. He mentioned peaceful uses of nuclear technology and harnessing the nation's scientific research for development.
The president will be elected July 15 by members of the national parliament and state legislatures. Kalam's election is considered assured because his only opponent, Lakshmi Sehgal, is a candidate of the Communist parties, which hold less than 10 percent of the votes in the electoral college.
The presidential post is largely ceremonial, but can be used to press the government for action on certain matters.
Kalam defended India's decision to go nuclear, saying the subcontinent had been repeatedly invaded by foreign powers for centuries because of its weak military.
"When they had guns, you had swords," he said of the battles that Indian kings fought and lost to colonial powers Britain and France.
In the past month there have been increased fears of a fourth war between India and Pakistan as the nations deployed 1 million troops along their frontier. Tensions soared after attacks on the Indian parliament and an army base that India blamed on Pakistan-based militants.
Kalam, 72, worked with India's premier defense and space research organizations for more than four decades before joining the government of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as its principal scientific adviser in 1999. He quit three months ago to teach at a university.
© 2002 The Associated Press
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