Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee says that India's experience has taught it that peace lies in strength, without a non-discriminatory world order. “The security of one billion Indians is central to Asia's security and stability,” he said in an article in the International Herald Tribune.
Vajpayee, who returned last Tuesday from 13-day visit to the United States, said, “Yet peace and strength are not incompatible. As a nuclear weapon state, our approach is guided by a sense of responsibility and transparency that we urge others to adopt.” Outlining the principles of New Delhi's nuclear policy, he said, “India has declared a unilateral moratorium on explosive tests, a policy of no first use, a tight export control regime and a willingness to engage with other countries on all aspects of international security.”
Maintaining that no armies from India have stepped out to conquer and dominate others, the prime minister said, “We want a world free of weapons of mass destruction. But security in the real world must be based on principle of equal security for all.” Stating that India and the US were both motivated by shared values that give freedom, dignity, democracy and tolerance the highest priority, he wrote, “Open societies oppose international terrorism, which in the cloak of religious extremism, is eating away at the foundation of democratic nations.”
Bureau Report