Pak rules out nuclear platform for subs

Pakistan has ruled out equipping its submarines with a nuclear platform in the near future, but said it is building a third Agosta class French submarine to be commissioned by 2006 and plans to acquire frigates from China to strengthen its navy.

"Despite the delays, Pakistan Navy has managed to commission two French built Agosta submarines and would commission a third one being built at Karachi docks with French assistance by 2006," said Pakistan's Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Operations) Rear Admiral Iftikhar Rao.

The possibility of equipping the new submarines with nuclear platform in near future was remote due to prohibitive cost, he told reporters at the Tactical Naval School in Karachi yesterday.

He said the navy also plans to acquire F22 frigates from China to add to the strength of the war ships.

As per Janes magazine, Pakistan has 10 submarines and 20 war ships against India's 16 submarines and 90 warships.

Admiral Rao said the induction of the Agosta class French submarines had strengthened Pakistan Navy even though it still suffered a numerical disadvantage against the Indian Navy.

Rao said despite Indian Navy's massive modernisation programme, Pakistan Navy was fully capable of defending the country's territorial waters and maritime interests specially the Karachi port which was blockaded by Indian Navy in the 1971 war.

"Pakistan Navy was in a position to block oil supplies to India and its ports, especially the Kandla port in Gujarat which handled bulk of India's oil supplies," he claimed.

He ruled out that acquisition of aircraft by Indian Navy had provided any "great advantage" to it as "the distance between Pakistan and India was short and Pakistan Air Force had the capacity to operate deep in the sea to provide support to the Navy".

Claiming that Indian Navy was well on its way to re-establishing sea-based nuclear capability both from submarines as well as ships, Rao said "their nuclear capable sea-based missiles development and the ATV (Nuclear submarine) programme was a clear indication of that."