Dawn
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03:16 Jun 17, 2025
• New Delhi possessed 172 warheads in 2024, 180 in 2025 • SIPRI data says Pakistan continues development of new delivery systems, accumulation of fissile material ISLAMABAD: India is adding to its nuclear stockpile, while Pakistan continues the development of new delivery systems, according to an annual report by a Swedish armament watchdog. The arms race in South Asia is a microcosm of the “dangerous new nuclear arms race” that is emerging across the globe, as nearly all nuclear-armed states continued to modernise their arsenals in 2024, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said. In its annual yearbook, SIPRI warned that the nine nuclear powers — the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — are not only upgrading existing stockpiles, but also developing new nuclear weapons, amid the steady erosion of international arms control agreements. The report highlights the continuing deterioration of global security, exacerbated by war...