Archive May 10, 2025

Could India, Pakistan use nuclear weapons? Here’s what their doctrines say

Pakistan said it struck multiple Indian military bases in the early hours of Saturday, May 10, after claiming that India had launched missiles against three Pakistani bases, marking a sharp escalation in their already soaring tensions, as the neighbours edge closer to an all-out war.

Long-simmering hostilities, mostly over the disputed region of Kashmir, erupted into renewed fighting after the deadly April 22 Pahalgam attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that saw 25 tourists and a local guide killed in an armed group attack. India blamed Pakistan for the attack; Islamabad denied any role.

Since then, the nations have engaged in a series of tit-for-tat moves that began with diplomatic steps but have rapidly turned into aerial military confrontation.

As both sides escalate shelling and missile attacks and seem on the road to a full-scale battle, an unprecedented reality stares not just at the 1.6 billion people of India and Pakistan but at the world: An all-out war between them would be the first ever between two nuclear-armed nations.

“It would be stupid for either side to launch a nuclear attack on the other … It is way short of probable that nuclear weapons are used, but that does not mean it’s impossible,” Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, told Al Jazeera.

So, how did we get here? What are the nuclear arsenals of India and Pakistan like? And when – according to them – might they use nuclear weapons?

How tensions have spiralled since April 22

India has long accused The Resistance Front (TRF) – the armed group that initially claimed credit for the Pahalgam attack, before then distancing itself from the killings – of being a proxy for the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based armed group that has repeatedly targeted India, including in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left more than 160 people dead.

New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the Pahalgam attack. Pakistan denied any role.

India withdrew from a bilateral pact on water sharing, and both sides scaled back diplomatic missions and expelled each other’s citizens. Pakistan also threatened to walk out of other bilateral pacts, including the 1972 Simla Agreement that bound the neighbours to a ceasefire line in disputed Kashmir, known as the Line of Control (LoC).

But on May 7, India launched a wave of missile attacks against sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. It claimed it hit “terrorist infrastructure”, but Pakistan says at least 31 civilians, including two children, were killed.

On May 8, India launched drones into Pakistani airspace, reaching the country’s major cities. India claimed it was retaliating, and that Pakistan had fired missiles and drones at it. Then, for two nights in a row, cities in India and Indian-administered Kashmir reported explosions that New Delhi claimed were the result of attempted Pakistani attacks that were thwarted.

Pakistan denied sending missiles and drones into India on May 8 and May 9 – but that changed in the early hours of May 10, when Pakistan first claimed that India targeted three of its bases with missiles. Soon after, Pakistan claimed it struck at least seven Indian bases. India has not yet responded either to Pakistan’s claims that Indian bases were hit or to Islamabad’s allegation that New Delhi launched missiles at its military installations.

How many nuclear warheads do India and Pakistan have?

India first conducted nuclear tests in May 1974 before subsequent tests in May 1998, after which it declared itself a nuclear weapons state. Within days, Pakistan launched a series of six nuclear tests and officially became a nuclear-armed state, too.

Each side has since raced to build arms and nuclear stockpiles bigger than the other, a project that has cost them billions of dollars.

India is currently estimated to have more than 180 nuclear warheads. It has developed longer-range missiles and mobile land-based missiles capable of delivering them, and is working with Russia to build ship and submarine missiles, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Pakistan’s arsenal, meanwhile, consists of more than 170 warheads. The country enjoys technological support from its regional ally, China, and its stockpile includes primarily mobile short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, with enough range to hit just inside India.

A motorcyclist rides past shattered glasses of a restaurant outside the Rawalpindi cricket stadium after an alleged drone was shot down in Rawalpindi on May 8, 2025. India and Pakistan accused each other on May 8 of carrying out waves of drone attacks, as deadly confrontations between the nuclear-armed foes drew global calls for calm. Pakistan's army said it shot down 25 Indian drones, while New Delhi accused Islamabad of launching overnight raids with
A motorcyclist rides past shattered windows of a restaurant outside the Rawalpindi cricket stadium after an alleged drone was shot down in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on May 8, 2025 [Aamir Qureshi/ AFP]

What’s India’s nuclear policy?

India’s interest in nuclear power was initially sparked and expanded under its first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who was eager to use it to boost energy generation. However, in recent decades, the country has solidified its nuclear power status to deter its neighbours, China and Pakistan, over territorial disputes.

New Delhi’s first and only nuclear doctrine was published in 2003 and has not been formally revised. The architect of that doctrine, the late strategic analyst K Subrahmanyam, was the father of India’s current foreign minister, S Jaishankar.

Only the prime minister, as head of the political council of the Nuclear Command Authority, can authorise a nuclear strike. India’s nuclear doctrine is built around four principles:

  • No First Use (NFU): This principle means that India will not be the first to launch nuclear attacks on its enemies. It will only retaliate with nuclear weapons if it is first hit in a nuclear attack. India’s doctrine says it can launch retaliation against attacks committed on Indian soil or if nuclear weapons are used against its forces on foreign territory. India also commits to not using nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states.
  • Credible Minimum Deterrence: India’s nuclear posture is centred around deterrence – that is, its nuclear arsenal is meant primarily to discourage other countries from launching a nuclear attack on the country. India maintains that its nuclear arsenal is insurance against such attacks. It’s one of the reasons why New Delhi is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), as it maintains that all countries uniformly disarm before it does the same.
  • Massive Retaliation: India’s retaliation to a first-strike from an aggressor will be calculated to inflict such destruction and damage that the enemy’s military capabilities will be annihilated.
  • Exceptions for biological or chemical weapons: As an exception to NFU, India will use nuclear weapons against any state that targets the country or its military forces abroad with biological or chemical weapons, according to the doctrine.

What is Pakistan’s nuclear policy?

  • Strategic Ambiguity: Pakistan has never officially released a comprehensive policy statement on its nuclear weapons use, giving it the flexibility to potentially deploy nuclear weapons at any stage of a conflict, as it has threatened to do in the past. Experts widely believe that from the outset, Islamabad’s non-transparency was strategic and meant to act as a deterrence to India’s superior conventional military strength, rather than to India’s nuclear power alone.
  • The Four Triggers: However, in 2001, Lieutenant General (Retd) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, regarded as a pivotal strategist involved in Pakistan’s nuclear policy, and an adviser to the nuclear command agency, laid out four broad “red lines” or triggers that could result in a nuclear weapon deployment. They are:

Spatial threshold – Any loss of large parts of Pakistani territory could warrant a response. This also forms the root of its conflict with India.

Military threshold – Destruction or targeting of a large number of its air or land forces could be a trigger.

Economic threshold – Actions by aggressors that might have a choking effect on Pakistan’s economy.

Political threshold – Actions that lead to political destabilisation or large-scale internal disharmony.

However, Pakistan has never spelled out just how large the loss of territory of its armed forces needs to be for these triggers to be set off.

Has India’s nuclear posture changed?

Although India’s official doctrine has remained the same, Indian politicians have in recent years implied that a more ambiguous posture regarding the No First Use policy might be in the works, presumably to match Pakistan’s stance.

In 2016, India’s then-Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar questioned if India needed to continue binding itself to NFU. In 2019, the present Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that India had so far strictly adhered to the NFU policy, but that changing situations could affect that.

“What happens in the future depends on the circumstances,” Singh had said.

India adopting this strategy might be seen as proportional, but some experts note that strategic ambiguity is a double-edged sword.

“The lack of knowledge of an adversary’s red lines could lead to lines inadvertently being crossed, but it could also restrain a country from engaging in actions that may trigger a nuclear response,” expert Lora Saalman notes in a commentary for the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Has Pakistan’s nuclear posture changed?

Pakistan has moved from an ambiguous policy of not spelling out a doctrine to a more vocal “No NFU” policy in recent years.

In May 2024, Kidwai, the nuclear command agency adviser, said during a seminar that Islamabad “does not have a No First Use policy”.

As significantly, Pakistan has, since 2011, developed a series of so-called tactical nuclear weapons. TNWs are short-range nuclear weapons designed for more contained strikes and are meant to be used on the battlefield against an opposing army without causing widespread destruction.

In 2015, then-Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry confirmed that TNWs could be used in a potential future conflict with India.

Former SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ant Middleton sells family home amid bankruptcy woes

Ant Middleton, the former presenter of hit reality TV series SAS: Who Dares Wins, has reportedly agreed to sell his lavish family home as his company faces potential bankruptcy

Ant Middleton is selling his family home(Image: Getty Images)

Former SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ant Middleton has reportedly sold his sprawling family home amid claims he faces bankruptcy.

The ex presenter of the hit reality TV series is thought to have had to put his house up for sale due to business debts which left him facing bankruptcy. Ant had initially bought the lavish property in Essex with his wife Emilie in 2019. They paid £1.16million for the home.

Now, it’s claimed the pair have sold the property at a profit – but didn’t meet their asking price. It’s reported they will bag a sale price of £1.35million.

That is according to The Sun who say that despite not reaching his initial asking price of £1.5million, the couple will still gain a nice sum in profit for the home that has a £50,000 orangery and a standalone gym.

It’s said the sale was forced due reports in a liquidation update for Ant’s company Sway and Starting, originally called Middleton Global.

Ant Middleton's company is said to be facing liquidation
Ant Middleton’s company is said to be facing liquidation(Image: ITV)
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It’s said that it had been forced into liquidation by creditors despite it raking in £4.5m in 2021.

The firm’s statement of affairs reveals it was abandoned owing £1,199,000 to HMRC and £3,000 to other creditors. Before wrapping it up, Ant, 43, took out £2.7m as a director’s loan, with the paperwork noting it was “uncertain” how much would be repaid.

Liquidators trying to claim back cash for creditors said in documents filed in February: “We are in correspondence with the director regarding the loan account but a settlement is yet to be reached.

“If a satisfactory settlement is not able to be reached it will be necessary for me to petition for the director’s bankruptcy.”

The accountants are also looking into any possible breaches of the Company Directors Disqualification Act and have sent a report to the Department for Business and Trade.

Reports first surfaced in January saying Ant’s company had gone bust owing £1.2m to the taxman. His spokesman said at the time: “Due to the impact of lockdowns on Ant’s work and associated adverse effects on the company, unfortunately Middleton Global Limited has had to be placed into voluntary liquidation.

“Ant has an extremely busy year ahead and is focused on his TV work, brand deals, books and events.”

The Mirror revealed in 2021 that Channel 4 had decided not to work with Ant again due to his “personal conduct”. He had spent six years on the SAS: Who Dares Wins TV programme, which puts civilians through gruelling military training.

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Newark Mayor Ras Baraka arrested during ICE detention centre protest

Rights groups and Democratic officials have decried the arrest of the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, during a protest at an immigration detention centre.

Mayor Ras Baraka had joined several lawmakers at the detention centre, called Delaney Hall, for a demonstration on Friday.

For weeks, he has been among those protesting the recently opened 1,000-bed centre, which critics see as a key link in President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.

Those in attendance said Baraka sought to enter the facility along with members of the United States Congress on Friday, but he was denied entry.

A video reviewed by The Associated Press showed a federal official in a jacket with the logo for the Homeland Security Investigations unit telling Baraka he could not tour the facility because “you are not a congress member”.

Baraka then left the secure area, rejoining protesters on the public side of the centre’s gate. Video showed him speaking through the gate to a man in a suit. The man said, “They’re talking about coming back to arrest you.”

“I’m not on their property. They can’t come out on the street and arrest me,” Baraka replied.

Moments later, several Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded the mayor and others on the public side of the gate. Baraka was dragged back through the security gate in handcuffs, while protesters yelled, “Shame!”

In a subsequent post on the social media platform X, Alina Habba, Trump’s former personal lawyer and acting US attorney for New Jersey, said Baraka had “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings” to leave.

“He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state,” Habba wrote. “He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.”

US Representative LaMonica McIver was also at the centre on Friday, along with Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman and Robert Menendez Jr, to conduct what they called an “oversight inspection”.

In a post on X, McIver said Baraka “did nothing wrong” and had already left the facility at the time of his arrest.

“This is unacceptable,” McIver said in the video.

For its part, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security accused the lawmakers of “storming” the facility in a “bizarre political stunt”.

Baraka has said the detention centre — located in Newark, not far from New York City — opened despite not having the proper local permits and approvals. He has launched a lawsuit to halt its operations.

The GEO group, which runs the centre in coordination with ICE, has denied his claims. It entered into an agreement with the federal government in February to run the Delaney Hall facility, under a 15-year contract valued at $1bn.

‘Unjust arrest’

Local elected officials swiftly condemned the federal agents’ actions, with the state’s governor, Phil Murphy, writing on X that he was “outraged by the unjust arrest” of Baraka.

Murphy called the mayor an “exemplary public servant who has always stood up for our most vulnerable mayors” and appealed for his release.

The governor noted that New Jersey had previously passed a law banning private immigration detention centres in the state, a Democratic stronghold, although it was partially struck down by a federal court in 2023. An appeal is ongoing.

Baraka, who is running in next month’s Democratic primary for governor, has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

He struck a defiant tone against the Trump administration in January, after ICE raided businesses in the city he leads.

‘Anxious’ Stephanie Davis issues update after son rushed to hospital twice

Stephanie Davis has shared a n update with her social media followers after recently revealing the scary ordeal in which her baby son was rushed to hospital twice

Stephanie Davis with her son(Image: stephaniedavis88/Instagram)

Stephanie Davis has shared her anxiety after her young son was rushed to hospital twice when he “stopped breathing”. The actress, 32, took to social media to explain why she hasn’t been active lately.

The Coronation Street star took to Instagram to share a number of images of her and her son in hospital. She also shared a snap of her hugging her two-month-old, while Caben Albi, eight, also cuddled in.

Stephanie wrote in the update of her “dread”, penning: “Heyy, Not posted much recently but haven’t had many photos to post since Samuel had his breathing episodes I’ve just been at home watching him like a hawk. Mum life is so busy you literally don’t get a minute, let alone to post!

Stephanie Davis and her baby son
Stephanie Davis gave her followers an update(Image: stephaniedavis88/Instagram)

“Awful last photo of me and my two boys but I literally don’t have any of us together. Don’t you find you have a camera roll filled with photos of everyone else with your children and none of them with you. “I’ve been so anxious since Samuel not breathing and now having 2 episodes, I’ve spent most of my nights jumping awake with dread to go back to sleep and do it all over again.”

Her followers were quick to share messages of support, with a number sending ideas on how to deal with her anxiety. One user wrote: “Bless look after you has well,” while another added: “Beautiful pictures Stephanie.”

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Stephanie, who welcomed her second child in January, opened up on her ordeal earlier this month. , She shared how her son faced a “scary episode” that meant he needed to be hospitalised.

And she later shared the sad news that he had suffered another terrifying incident at three-months old. She revealed how she was sat in a café following a baby sensory class with Samuel when he suddenly stopped breathing.

Thankfully, two women were on hand to support her. They rushed to help the actress and called for an ambulance. Stephanie spent the day at hospital as she told her followers:

“We were just having a nice day and then all of a sudden he’s foaming from the mouth with loads of saliva. You lose your head as a mum, it’s honestly torture.”

She added: “Poor baby has had two lumber punctures and all sorts done to him to get to the bottom of it all. It’s been a dead upsetting time. I’m trying not to cry again because I’ve just been crying.

“On top of that, when he’s in his pram, he doesn’t like the wind in his face. When the wind is in his face, he starts to blow bubbles and hold his breath. It makes me panic.

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“I’m anxious because of what happened yesterday and recently with him with his reflux and I’m hoping it doesn’t turn into an episode.

“It’s just dead upsetting and worrying. I’m just praying he takes a breath and then worrying that next time he won’t clear it.” Stephanie became emotional as she spoke.

Nicola Peltz branded ‘bizarre’ after she copies Victoria Beckham fashion look

Nicola Peltz was photographed wearing a blue and white Dolce & Gabbana biker jacket last February – which drew a puzzled reaction from Victoria’s friends after she wore the same jacket

Nicola Peltz wearing the D&G biker jacket at the centre of the row(Image: affinitypicture / BACKGRID)

Nicola Peltz has been accused of “bizarre behaviour” after wearing a jacket previously worn by her mother in law Victoria Beckham.

Nicola was photographed wearing a blue and white Dolce & Gabbana biker jacket last February. Victoria had famously worn the same jacket in the terraces of Old Trafford to watch Manchester United be crowned Premier League champions, in 2001.

At the time it was speculated by outlets – including fashion bible Vogue – that Nicola had been “granted access to her mother-in-law’s personal archive of noughties fashion.” But friends of the Beckhams say this was not the case at all.

One said: “If not obsessive, it was definitely the most bizarre behaviour especially given relations weren’t the greatest anyway in the wake of the wedding.”

Friends of Nicola claimed that her mum bought her the jacket in September 2023, “not knowing Victoria had worn it”.

“Nicola however did recognize the jacket and thought it was sweet to wear something her mother in law had worn,” the pal said. “Nicola has only ever attempted to be close to the Beckhams as she’s close with her own family.”

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Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham wearing the jacket in question(Image: Daily Mirror)

The flashpoint comes as the Mirror exclusively told how the row between David and Victoria Beckham and their daughter-in-law Nicola Peltz descended into open warfare.

The Mirror’s Tom Bryant told revealed how the couple’s friends have reacted with fury after Nicola’s pals made a series of extraordinary claims about the reason why the rift between Brooklyn and his family emerged.

Her friend claimed: “We are at this point because Nicola, an outsider coming into the Beckham family, has been able to help Brooklyn see the emotional abuse and toxic behavior within his family, that it’s not healthy and it’s not normal and it’s not ok.”

But the comments have sparked outrage from sources close to the Beckhams.

“I don’t think anyone who has ever seen David and Victoria with their children would recognise this deeply unpleasant attack,” the source said. “It doesn’t even warrant a response it’s so ludicrous and patently untrue.”

A second source close to the family said they had been left “open-mouthed” that Nicola’s friends were “pumping out untruths.” The source added: ““You wouldn’t expect this of your worst enemy, let alone close family members. The whole thing beggars belief.”

Some are worried that Brooklyn has cut himself off not just from his mum and dad, but his siblings and old friends too.

Nicola Peltz and Brooklyn Beckham
Estranged: Nicola Peltz and Brooklyn Beckham(Image: Getty Images for ENTER Works)

“It’s a desperately sad situation,” says one pal. “Everyone loves Brooklyn so much and hopes things can be resolved.”

Many have pointed to Nicola’s upbringing and the influence of her doting, yet combative billionaire businessman father Nelson Peltz. A source said: “You don’t get that rich by being shy and retiring. There is no doubt Nicola has inherited his spirit.”

Her in-laws have watched as both Nicola, and her father, have launched two expensive lawsuits in as many years.

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First, Mr Peltz sued the wedding planners who oversaw Nicola and Brooklyn nuptials last April because of alleged ‘mistakes’. The planners hit back and filed a counterclaim in a Miami court for breach of contract and ‘interference’ with a business deal. Both parties eventually settled.

Then last July, Nicola herself took legal action against the groomer who worked on her chihuahua Nala shortly before her death. A source said: “Nicola doesn’t take any prisoners and woe betide anyone who crosses her. The Beckhams are now in the crosshairs. It’s why no one can see any way this whole saga ends anytime soon.”

Dragons edge out Panthers for first win of season

Ben Lumley

Cardiff Dragons claimed their first win of the Netball Super League season as they beat Birmingham Panthers on Friday.

Having started the campaign with seven straight losses, the Dragons overcame a narrow half-time deficit to secure a 61-57 victory at the Skydome Arena.

The Panthers led 34-32 at midway point and were still a point up at the end of the third quarter.

It was level at 57-57 with five minutes remaining but the Dragons edged ahead through goal attack Phillipa Yarranton and she added a super shot to extend the lead.

Goal shooter Georgia Rowe, who top-scored for the Dragons with 39 goals, wrapped up the win for the Super League’s last-place side.

The Panthers had a marginally better shooting success rate, 86% to the Dragons’ 85%, with Sigi Burger scoring 46 goals, but were outshot 67 to 55 by the visitors.

Fixtures and results

Friday, 9 May

Birmingham Panthers 57-61 Cardiff Dragons

Saturday, 10 May

Loughborough Lightning v Leeds Rhinos (18:00, BBC Red Button and iPlayer)

Sunday, 11 May

Nottingham Forest v Manchester Thunder (16:00)

London Mavericks v London Pulse (16:00)

Related topics

  • Netball