India and the CTBT

I thank Mr. G.S. Edwin for his letter on "Nuclear test ban" (The Jakarta Post, Aug 12) which triggered an otherwise languid interest. I agree with him that your Aug. 1 editorial "India should question itself whether it is worth holding back and holding the rest of the world hostage" was indeed very harsh.

To the world dominated by Western media, India's objection to the draft seems not only alien, but alienating. Under the circumstances, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and India's stand should be carefully analyzed.

The CTBT is aimed at making a permanent commitment against nuclear explosions. It does not restrict the exchange of test data available to nuclear powers from the thousands of explosions made earlier. The nuclear powers are capable of developing sophisticated nuclear weapons and it will be impossible for countries like India to compete.

The CTBT does not ban hydronuclear tests. Though it is difficult to make bombs through techniques like hydronuclear explosions, hydrodynamics testing and laboratory simulations, they could generate a lot of valuable data on several aspects of making weapons.

The CTBT does not contain a time-bound commitment from the nuclear powers to phase out their nuclear arsenal.

India was the first country to call for a ban on all nuclear tests as far back as 1954. It was forced to conduct its first and only nuclear test in 1974 to join the nuclear arms race at the height of the Cold War, basically out of national interest as its neighbor, China and later Pakistan were developing nuclear capabilities.

Once the CTBT is in force, it would be difficult for India to have nuclear explosions and India would lose its deterrent. In comparison, the U.S. has conducted thousands of nuclear explosions and has collected a substantial amount of data.

India's demand for linking the treaty with a time-bound elimination of nuclear weapons was rejected by the Big Five.

India's worry that CTBT is being used as a ploy by the nuclear powers to cap or freeze her nuclear capabilities at existing levels could be elaborated ad nauseam: the weaknesses of the CTBT are plain.

Finally, one must protest against oppression by violent or non-violent means. Submitting to pressure is worse than violent protest.

D. PRABHAKAR

Jakarta