India puts its nuclear command in place

India's cabinet Saturday decided to place ultimate control of the country's nuclear forces in the hands of a political council chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

It also decided that India would keep to its pledge of no "first strike" of nuclear weapons.

In a statement, it said a Nuclear Command Authority would consist of two bodies, an executive council to coordinate the administrative work chaired by national security adviser Brajesh Mishra and a political council headed by Vajpayee.

"The political council is the sole body which can authorise the use of nuclear weapons," the statement added.

India will also have a commander-in-chief from the military to manage the nuclear forces.

Sources said Indian Air Force's Air Marshall T.M. Asthana, who heads the southern air command, is likely to be appointed to the position.

The official announcement is likely to be made next week.

The statement said a "credible minimum" level of nuclear deterrent would always be maintained and that India would retain the option of launching a retaliatory strike in case one was made against it.

India could also launch a nuclear strike against a country if it was attacked by chemical or biological weapons, the statement said.

The cabinet said India will keep to its policy of not exporting nuclear and missile technologies or materials to any country as well as maintaining a moratorium on nuclear testing.

After testing five nuclear devices in May 1998, India put a moratorium on further tests and said its stockpile was built on the policy of minimum credible deterrence and that it would follow a no-first-use rule.

Pakistan conducted rival tests the same month, but gave no such assurances.

India's missile capabilities match Pakistan's but New Delhi has numerical superiority over its South Asian rival in terms of ballistic missiles and stockpiled nuclear warheads, according to experts.

Saturday's cabinet meeting chaired by Vajpayee reviewed India's state of nuclear readiness, the strategy it will follow for a retaliatory attack and the various stages of alert and launch.

Analysts said India's announcement of a nuclear command structure was timed to send a message to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf as he recently said Islamabad was ready to use unconventional warfare against India last year.

In a speech to army troops on December 30, General Musharraf revealed he had warned India "they should not expect a conventional war from Pakistan" if Indian troops entered Pakistan during last year's tense 10-month military standoff.

The comment was interpreted by some observers as a reference to nuclear weapons, although Musharraf did not mention nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

Musharraf later said he was referring to use of guerilla warfare.

Military tensions between the two countries, which have fought three wars since their independence in 1947, spiralled in December when Muslim militants attacked the Indian parliament, which New Delhi blamed on a plot hatched in Islamabad.