India to deploy ballistic missiles along borders with China, Pakistan amid tensions

India intends to deploy around 120 Pralay ballistic missiles along its borders with arch-foes China and Pakistan after recent clashes with Chinese troops at a contested border, according to reports citing defense sources.

“A high-level meeting of the defense ministry cleared the acquisition of around 120 missiles for the armed forces and their deployment along the borders,” a senior defense source was on Monday quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.

Developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the quasi-ballistic surface-to-surface missile can take out targets from 150 to 500 km, the report stated, adding that they are extremely difficult to intercept for the enemy through interceptor missiles.

The missile will reportedly be first inducted into the Indian Air Force followed by the Indian Army.

According to defense watchers, such a missile system can be used for taking out long-range enemy air defense systems and also other high-value installations and weaponry, thus allowing New Delhi to target dual-use Chinese infrastructure and military bases on the Tibetan Plateau.

The ANI described the reported development as a “major decision” for the country, which now has a policy of allowing the use of ballistic missiles in tactical roles and is considered a major development in the defense strategy of the country.

Pralay, it noted, fills the gap of a conventionally armed ballistic missile that is not hampered by the "No First Use" nuclear policy.

In early December, India's defense ministry reported brief clashes between the Indian army and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China in the Line of Actual Control (LAC) situated in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh in the Himalayas.

India had accused Beijing, which did not confirm that the encounter took place, of trying to “unilaterally” change the status quo in the Himalayan border zone.

Last week, New Delhi announced the deployment of a record number of troops to the area, calling it a response to the Chinese buildup.

The territorial rivalry termed the Sino-Indian border dispute which separates the Indian-controlled territory from the Chinese-controlled territory is over the Indian claims over the entire Aksai Chin region and the Chinese claims over Arunachal Pradesh.

India’s neighbors and geopolitical rivals, China and Pakistan, are both equipped with ballistic missiles that can be used for tactical roles and are also nuclear weapons enabled just like India.

New Delhi also shares a longstanding border dispute with Islamabad over the Kashmir region, called the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Pakistan-controlled Kashmir from the Indian-controlled part. The two countries have fought three wars since 1947 over the disputed territory. 

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