Is the government contemplating a change in its ‘No First Use’ policy to checkmate Pakistan or is this mere posturing to lure the people into believing that it can go to any extent to protect the nation from foreign aggression, be it from Pakistan or China (Editorial page, “An intervention that leads to more questions”, August 19)? There must be clear enunciation of the policy in order to clear confusion and open up the issue for wider debate and discussion.
V. Padmanabhan, Bengaluru
India has so far remained a responsible nuclear power despite not being a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. India’s bid to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group has been supported by several countries only because of its clean nuclear record. It’s unfortunate that the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s ambiguous statement will undermine India’s credibility in the global arena. The change in the ‘No First Use’ policy could create an arms race in the region. This would also betray the vision of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
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Vidhya B. Ragunath, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu