Pakistan has relied for more than a quarter century on its nuclearweapons to
conduct its strategy against India. The militarys grandstrategy has rested on
maintaining the centrality of the covert war(war through terrorism) strategy.
Pakistans acquisition of nuclearweapons has been rationalised as a deterrent to
Indian conventionalmilitary superiority which, its Foreign Minister had once
stated,hangs like the Sword of Damocles over Pakistans head. In turn, thiswas
used as an umbrella under which to pursue a proxy war throughterrorism. Nuclear
weapons have been perceived as a shield to deteran Indian aggression which
possibly could be prompted in responseto the provocative (sustained and/or high
profile) terrorism beingconducted from the Pakistani