Time for a global treaty on uber-deadly weapons

Source: The Post is based on an article “Time for a global treaty on uber-deadly weapons” published in the Live Mint on 2^nd August 2022.

Syllabus: GS 3 Internal and External Security

Relevance: The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022.

News: Recently, The Ministry of External Affairs introduced the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022. In a global context, this is a pre-emptive move in relation to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).

Features in the bill

The bill bars the financing of WMDs and their delivery vehicles. Further, it empowers the government to freeze and seize the financial assets and resources of those engaged in this illicit activity.

The new provisions cover all holdings that are either owned or controlled, wholly or jointly, directly or indirectly by offenders, and also any other things which are held by others on their behalf.

The Centre can take action via any authority that it has assigned this task to execute the order.

What was the need for such a law for WMD in India?

There are enough nuclear bombs on the planet earth which are sufficient to kill all life on earth many times over. There may be an accidental launch of a nuclear missile tipped with a fissile warhead.

The risk of terrorists armed with nuclear, chemical, or biological devices or even aircraft filled with jet fuel has increased. For example, ‘the 9/11 Terror Attack ’was suffered by the US in 2001.

The US invaded Iraq based on its anxiety over the presence of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Thus, the presence of WMDs, can lead to state conflicts.

During the Soviet-US Cold War, the mutually assured destruction (MAD) doctrine was an assurance of peace in the world. However, the role of the non-state actors who are mostly state-sponsored has increased

Other Measures Taken to tackle such threat

Global efforts to minimize terror threats include stopping money from being sneaked into the development of weapons that can kill at scale.

Recently, India has aligned its policy with the advice of the Financial Action Task Force. India has amended its 2005 ban on making WMDs to outlaw the funding of such activity as well.

What should be done?

To help secure the world, India should propose a global treaty that commits every state to ‘no first use’ of WMDs, in line with New Delhi’s no first use nuclear doctrine.

Further, All the countries holding WMD ensure that non-state actors mustn’t get access to nukes and other mass killers.

Our WMD law may seem unlikely to be invoked, given the scant evidence available of such further, India’s WMD law, should not be misapplied to the subjects. Here, judiciary can play a vital role