What is Pakistan's nuclear weapons capability?
What's the story
Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir recently made a controversial statement in the United States, threatening to take down half the world if Pakistan faces an existential threat in a future war with India. "We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we'll take half the world down with us," he said at a private dinner hosted by businessman Adnan Asad. This is the first time such threats have been issued from US soil against another country.
Nuclear capability
Munir threatens to destroy India's infrastructure
Munir also threatened to destroy any infrastructure India builds that could affect the Indus River's flow. "We will wait for India to build a dam, and when it does so, phir das missile sey faarigh kar dengey [we will destroy it with 10 missiles]," he said. He claimed India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam attack could put 250 million people at risk of starvation.
Arsenal control
Pakistan's nuclear arsenal
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates Pakistan has about 170 nuclear warheads, while India has around 180. But Pakistan can expand its nuclear arsenal quickly with new delivery systems and an expanding uranium enrichment infrastructure, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists noted in 2023. Most of Pakistan's nuclear weapons are land-based missiles, but it is also developing nuclear triads for land, air, and sea delivery, Christopher Clary, a security affairs expert at the University at Albany, said.
Decision-making authority
Who controls Pakistan's nuclear arsenal?
Control over these weapons lies with the top leadership under the Nuclear Command and Control System (NCCS), with final decisions made jointly by the president and prime minister. The National Command Authority (NCA) controls Pakistan's nuclear arsenal and is chaired by the PM. The NCA oversees all nuclear and missile programs in the country. During wartime or military crises, the military would likely have more influence on nuclear decision-making despite substantial authority given to civilian government by committee makeup.
Contingency plans
US 'snatch-and-grab' plan for Pakistan's nuclear weapons
However, there have been speculations of a US 'snatch-and-grab' plan for Pakistan's nuclear weapons if they were deemed a threat to either America or its interests, per an old NBC News report from 2011. This plan was reportedly drawn up before the 9/11 terror attacks and gained more attention after Osama bin Laden's 2011 raid. Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf warned such an operation could lead to all-out war between the US and Pakistan.