Pakistan's nuclear posture: Deterrence in a regional setting

South Asia remains intriguing for academics and policymakers in its myriad dimensions. Its politics is dominated by India-Pakistan relations, and the underlying security problem, accentuated by their nuclear capability.; The dissertation focuses on Pakistan's nuclear capability, and nuclear deterrence in South Asia. It views the regional security problem in the India-Pakistan context, and how Pakistan's nuclear capability has impacted it over the years. Before Pakistan's nuclear tests, it had an ambiguous nuclear posture; "deterrence" was still part of regional security lexicon, raising questions, as to its credibility. The nuclear tests of India and Pakistan removed the ambiguity, transforming the security picture, but deterrence still raised some questions.; While it is still early to assess deterrence, and effort is made to critically evaluate its theory and practice in the given South Asian setting. This not only answers questions about how deterrence works in a regional setting, it also puts the dynamics of India-Pakistan relations in a better perspective. The dissertation views the security problem in a political dimension, while the political problems are viewed in a historical perspective. Regional developments provide a good backdrop to "test" deterrence in a regional setting.; In its wider dimension, the issue is also linked with arms control and nuclear proliferation, which have assumed a new urgency after the nuclear tests. While there are lessons to be learnt from the US-Soviet experience, the assumptions of deterrence theory are critically evaluated in the regional context.; The nuclear issue has profound implications for regional and international peace, and hopefully, the conclusions would lead to a better understanding of India-Pakistan rivalry, and the regional security problem. The lessons learnt regionally could not only alleviate tension and enhance security, these could be applied to the other regions as well.