Monday, April 16, 2007

Unseemly race in arms

People's needs for food, health and education ignored

India on Wednesday test-fired the Agni-3 from Chandipur near Balasore on the
Orissa coast. It has a confirmed range of 300 KMs, and carries an explosive load of 1« tonnes. It is capable of carrying a nuclear war-head, and DRDO engineers claim that its range can be extended upto 5000 KMs. India's first experiment with it, in July last year, had failed. Now its success enables India to hit, if required, the main cities of Asia, from Turkey to Japan.
It qualifies India as an Asian power capable of projecting its military power far beyond the border. But, why so much of effort for something which is never likely to be used? Apparently, it was in response to the Pak experiment with its nuclear-capable, radar-avoiding Babar (HATF-VII) cruise missile, with a range of only 700 KMs. It, carries an explosive load, if necessary even a nuclear war-head of 500 kgs, although nuclear war-heads usually weigh around a ton. Though sub-sonic in speed these cruise missiles can avoid any anti-missile defence system. It is a product of Sino-Pak techno-cooperation, and is Pakistan's visible response to India's on-going experiments with the Brahmos produced with Russian cooperation. The Brahmos have a shorter range of 300 KMs, and can carry a lighter war-head of 300 kgs, but are super-sonic in their speed. So, the hing-cost race goes on.
Formerly, it was restricted to the armies and air forces of the two countries, but the same competitive attitude has now been extended to the realm of missiles, also. The purchase of tanks, planes, or highly sophisticated gadgets by either of the two countries immediately provokes the other to go in for their latest equivalent, in one way or the other.
Just as nothing is ideally hygenic to a doctor, and nothing is really sacred to a bishop, similarly nothing is really secure to the men in uniform. You may ask any of them and he will expatiate on the growing danger to the country's independence and integrity to protect which we should spend the last drop of our sweat and blood. There is nothing Indian or Pakistani about it. The military top brass, every where and always, smell danger and ask for more troops and equipments. But, in that process, the reality of the danger imagined and the remote possibility of the use of these highly expensive arms are usually lost sight of.
Let us take the case of India and Pakistan. Are they going to use their Brahmos and Babars against each other? If there was any chance of their misuse in the past, obviously there is none since 2004. The ruling establishments of both the countries and the masses, though usually mute, have realised the pleasures and privileges of peace. The utter futility of a war between two nuclear-armed states is obvious even to the blind. The people in the two countries want peace and an opportunity to make profit through investments. So, another major war between the neighbours of South Asia is presently out of question and these hi-tech weapons of the 21st century become obsolete within half a generation. Besides, when the highly developed nations of the world indulge in an arms race, they actually pander to the interest of their industrial -military complex. But, not so in our case. Virtually every single piece of these highly expensive sophisticated gadgets has to be bought from rich countries round the world, with the foreign exchange earned by the sweat of the brow of our poor. And, both India and Pakistan are buying these weapons with resources which could and should have been used for the upliftment of the poor neglected masses. Even now nearly 48% of the population of 'shining India' are under -nourished and only 61% are effectively literate. If in Pakistan the number of those under -nourished is around 10% less the proportion of illiterates is over 10% more. In both the countries there is much to be done to provide the majority with potable water, proper sanitary facilities, old age case and access to schools, medicare and markets. The masses in both the countries are crying for these basic needs of theirs. When these are neglected well-armed states, like the Shah's Iran and the USSR, collapsed, while a completely demilitarised Costarica, which disbanded its army in 1949, is an oasis of peace, progress and stability in the whole of Latin America notorious for insurgencies, coup-d'tats, blood-thirsty guerrillas and state -sponsored killers.
The frontiers of a state can never be protected as long as the foundations of its freedom and future are not based in the hearts of a happy population committed to save it in their own interest.

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Arise Awake Stop not till the goal is reached. - Swami Vivekananda Swami ji is my inspiration, not as a monk but as a social reformer and for his universal-ism.