by Sitara Noor
29 November 2016
This article originally appeared in the The Stimson Center's South Asian Voices.
The opinions expressed in the article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the VCDNP.
India’s defense minister Manohar Parrikar stirred a new controversy recently with his comments on India’s No First Use (NFU) policy at a book launch ceremony in New Delhi. While responding to a question, the defense minister suggested that India should not “bind” itself and instead of affirming an NFU policy, India should say that it is “a responsible nuclear power and I will not use it irresponsibly.” Although he further added that this was his “personal” view and that the nuclear doctrine “has not changed under any government,” the comment immediately went viral, inviting criticism from various circles as being irresponsible.
