Dubai, Feb 25: Pakistan's former military dictator Gen (retd.) Pervez Musharraf has termed talk of any nuclear war with India as rubbish, saying if Pakistan would attack India with one atomic bomb, then New Delhi could "finish us by attacking with 20 bombs".
"It is not so simple. Do not talk like this. There is always a military strategy," Musharraf, who is on self-exile in Dubai, said in response to a question at a news conference in Dubai on Friday evening.
His statement came amid heightened tension between the two nuclear-armed countries after the February 14 suicide attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad that killed at least 40 CRPF soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.
Musharraf, who ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, termed talk of any nuclear war as rubbish, Dawn newspaper reported.
"If Pakistan would attack India with one atomic bomb, then the neighbouring country could finish us by attacking with 20 bombs," he was quoted as saying by the paper.
"The only solution is that we should first attack them with 50 atom bombs so that they cannot hit us with 20 bombs. Are you ready to first launch an attack with 50 bombs?" he asked.
Musharraf, who was the army chief of Pakistan during the Kargil War in 1999, said India had advantage in some areas in Kashmir and it could launch a surgical strike, but Pakistan also had advantage in many other areas. He suggested to Pakistan Army to keep a plan prepared before time to deal with any possible Indian move, the paper said.
The former general has been declared a fugitive in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case and the Red Mosque cleric killing case. He is facing several cases including a treason case for suspending the Constitution in 2007. He left for the UAE in 2016 for medical treatment and has not returned since.
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Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
