India cannot and should not abandon its no first use policy.
India has a vastly superior conventional military w.r.t Pakistan therefore in such a scenario a no first use policy becomes a necessity.
Pakistan would be more likely to launch if it feared being overwhelmed by India. Following a 'use it or lose it' strategy Pakistan would have little choice but to strike first fearing that a nuclear attack from India could wipe out their own arsenal. The NFU policy is an assurance to Pakistan, if they don't face an existential threat, they're less likely to initiate a nuclear war that would only lead to their annihilation.
With a NFU policy India can raise Pakistan's threshold for a nuclear strike thereby allowing for short, high intensity conventional wars aimed primarily at destroying their conventional military capacity and hurting the economy.
India is huge, furthermore our rail networks are extensive, our arsenals are mobile and can be easily concealed. India is also working on a second strike capability to further deter Pakistan from using its own nukes. A credible second strike capability and a ballistic missile defense shield will only add more credibility to our NFU policy from what I understand.
When it comes to China, we lost that race 2 decades ago. They are miles ahead, they have been stockpiling fissile material and missiles since 1964, there is no way we can match them but we can effectively deter them, and so India is building up its 2nd strike capabilities and arsenal. Arihant is our first step in this direction. It will take a decade from what I've read, but most probably take 15 years from what I've seen.
btw, Indian, Pakistani and Chinese arsenals are meant for deterrence and NOT war fighting, the only countries capable of that are the US and Russia.
Nuclear arsenals are sort of like a life insurance policy but just because you have one doesn't mean you commit suicide. Think about it, the idea is to ensure your survival, not kill the other guy. I can't believe people can be naive enough to make comments like 'we will lose but we'll destroy your shining cities'. Speaks volumes about their inferiority complex, very pathetic.
