‘N-threat after Dec 13 had missions evacuating from Delhi

The attack on the Indian Parliament by terrorists in December 2001 brought India and Pakistan almost on the brink of a nuclear warfare, a Pu...

The attack on the Indian Parliament by terrorists in December 2001 brought India and Pakistan almost on the brink of a nuclear warfare, a Pulitzer prize winner American journalist has said.

The threat of a nuclear attack from the Pakistani side over Indian cities was considered to be soimminent that the United States and British embassies in New Delhi had even started evacuating their diplomatic staff and family members.

The correspondent of The Washington Post during the period, Steve Coll said in an article in New Yorker: ‘‘(US Ambassador Robert) Blackwill and his British counterpart in New Delhi, Sir Rob Young, had become so concerned about the risk of a nuclear exchange that they began to discuss plans for an evacuation of embassy personnel.’’

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The December 13, 2001 event triggered the first real nuclear crisis of the 21st century and Coll said to some extent the terrorists seem to have developed their own nuclear doctrinel. In the article, the respected journalist disclosed excerpts from the meetings he had with the top political, bureaucratic and military personnals of India, Pakistan and the US during and after the crisis.

Referring to his conversation with top intelligence US officials, he said India was on the verge of launching an attack on Pakistan, while Pakistan was almost ready to strike back at its traditional enemy with its nuclear weapons.

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