In their article “Nuclear Ethics? Why Pakistan Has not Used Nuclear Weapons…Yet”, the author Sanniah Abdullah lays out the argument that the reason Pakistan has not yet used nuclear weapons is not because of the presence of a nuclear taboo in the country or deterrence but because the Pakistani military has not yet faced a situation where they were able to use nuclear weapons and doing so would be useful.
I only kind of agree with the author’s argument. It is worth pointing out that the 1999 Kargill War was limited in its scope and did not nearly qualify as the type of conflict that would justify the use of nuclear weapons. Since 1999, there has not been any real military crises between India and Pakistan aside from skirmishes between irregular forces in the disputed Kashmir region. However, the lack of a nuclear taboo and the power of the military over the country leads me to believe that if such a situation would arise, there is a high chance of the Pakistani’s using their nuclear arsenal.
The world has not yet witnessed a nation using nuclear weapons in RESPONSE to an attack by another nation. The problem that Pakistan would face if it chose to go nuclear is that India’s vast conventional military superiority, combined with Pakistan’s lack of a viable ballistic missile defense system, would mean that Pakistan would lose..and lose badly, with hundreds of thousands of casualties and the likely destruction f its major cities. It’s hard to believe that they would consider this a price worth paying. –Professor Wallerstein