Pakistan's navy announced yesterday that it would shortly equip its submarines with nuclear tipped missiles, in a move that is certain to increase tension with nuclear neighbour India. The deputy chief of Pakistan's naval forces Rear Admiral M. Afzal Tahir said in Karachi yesterday that the Pakistan navy would soon have "a qualitative edge over a numerically superior enemy" meaning arch rival India.

He said the navy's modern and indigenously constructed Agosta 90-B submarines "render a definite edge over the enemy". Pakistan recently added three French submarines to its fleet - all capable of carrying nuclear warheads. "We also possess an effective air arm including state-of-the-art and well equipped aircraft such as P3Cs and Atlantics, with no match to their capabilities in the Indian inventory at present," the rear admiral stressed, adding that the navy's surface ships, though depleted in numbers, had been modernised and equipped with state-of-art weapons, sensors and hi-tech command and control system.

"We also hope to acquire more modern frigates to make up for the shortfalls and cater for replacement. Although these are needed urgently, national financial constraints are delaying their acquisition," he added. He said the navy has indigenously constructed state-of-art minehunters, which can neutralise the most sophisticated mines in the world. The indigenous construction projects for smaller missile craft for littoral operations are also continuing.

Jinnah Naval Base at Ormara in the Baluchistan coastal area, is being developed as a full-fledged naval base. Tahir felt that inception of nuclear weapons has fundamentally changed the dynamics of military equation in this region. He said in the nuclear balance of power, where no clear tilt of technological edge exists on any side, geography places Pakistan at "a distinct disadvantage".

The draft Indian nuclear doctrine, which assures no first use while keeping the option of a pre-emptive strike open is "quite ambiguous and worrisome for Pakistan," he noted. Tahir said Indian projects such as installation of cruise missiles on naval platforms are presently in progress with considerable success. This will give India extended reach and flexibility of not only a nuclear second strike but also the capability to conduct conventional cruise missile attacks on Pakistan from sea, he stated.

Responding to the decision by Pakistan's navy on going nuclear, India's Defence Ministry spokes-man P. K. Bandopadhyay said in New Delhi, "We are also fully prepared for the deployment of nuclear missiles by them. We are equal to it."