By Muhammad Luqman
Pakistan has expressed concern over the purchase of S-400 missile system by India , terming it as part of New Delhi’s efforts to acquire a Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) System through multiple sources.
“This will further destabilize strategic stability in South Asia, besides leading to a renewed arms race,” spokesman of Pakistan’s foreign office said on Friday.
Following the May 1998 nuclear tests by both sides, Pakistan had proposed a Strategic Restraint Regime in the region, advocating against the acquisition of BMD systems due to their destabilizing effect.
Indian rejection of this proposal forced Pakistan to develop capabilities which render any BMD system ineffective and unreliable. Pakistan remains fully confident of its ability to address threats from any kind of destabilizing weapon system, the spokesman said.
“We reiterate our commitment towards ensuring national defence in line with the policy of maintaining credible minimum deterrence and maintaining strategic balance in the region in the future as well,” Dr. Muhammad Faisal said.
The S-400 Triumf, previously known as the S-300 PMU-3, is an anti-aircraft weapon system developed in the 1990s by Russia’s Almaz Central Design Bureau as an upgrade of the S-300 family.
It has been in service with the Russian Armed Forces since 2007. The S-400 uses four missiles to fill its performance envelope: the very-long-range 40N6 (400 km), the long-range 48N6 (250 km), the medium-range 9M96E2 (120 km) and the short-range 9M96E (40 km). The S-400 was described by the magazine,The Economist in 2017 as “one of the best air-defence systems currently made”.
