17:30 Dec 05, 1996 EST
NEW DELHI, India (Reuter) - India, under pressure from the United States to roll back its ballistic weapons program, said Thursday it would not produce its intermediate-range Agni missile unless the nation's security was threatened.
Analysts said the decision to shelve the surface-to-surface missile, believed capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, would help keep a lid on tension in South Asia but open the government to attack by domestic hardliners.
``It marks a strikingly moderate line,'' a diplomat said.
The decision was made public by a parliamentary committee, which released a defense ministry report prepared in October.
The report was at odds with the recommendations of the all-party parliamentary panel, which had urged the government to produce the Agni for induction into the armed forces.
It also appeared to mark a shift in the government's stance.
``Agni is a re-entry technology demonstration project which has been successfully completed and all the objectives have been met,'' the ministry said in the report. ``Agni project did not envisage development of a missile system.
``The decision to develop and produce a missile system based on Agni technology, however, can be taken at an appropriate time consistent with the prevailing threat perception and global or regional security environment.''
The United States has urged New Delhi to halt missile testing permanently, fearing an arms race between India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars since 1947.
India detonated a nuclear device in 1974 but says it has not built a nuclear bomb. The United States believes both India and Pakistan could quickly assemble nuclear weapons.
``There is the widely held perception that India's missile program has slowed down under U.S. pressure,'' defense analyst Brahma Chellaney of the Center for Policy Research told Reuters.
``Basically the Agni is in hibernation because the government does not have the political will to move ahead.''
In an August report, the defense ministry said the government was under pressure to hold off on the development of the Agni and other missiles. But it said India would ``continue with its indigenous missile development programs.''
The decision to hold back on producing the missile was criticized by the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which has advocated a tougher line on defense than Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda's center-left government.
``The development and deployment of this missile should not be delayed or stopped under pressure,'' BJP spokesman Krishna Lal Sharma said.
The decision was made public only days after Chinese President Jiang Zemin made an official visit to New Delhi. China and India fought a brief border war in 1962 and still disagree over parts of their Himalayan boundary.
``Coming after Jiang's visit, this is a source of embarrassment for the government,'' Chellaney said.
With a range of 1,500 miles, the Agni is considered as a potential deterrent against China. India last tested the 14-ton, 60-foot Agni in 1994.
India's 150-mile Prithvi missile would be more suited as a deterrent against neighboring Pakistan, analysts said.
``The signal that this sends to critics of the government following Jiang's visit is that the government is pusillanimous,'' a diplomat said.
Copyright 1996 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication and redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
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