ISLAMABAD – India has started reportedly deploying more than a dozen nuclear warheads aboard its ballistic missile submarines, pushing the region into a more dangerous phase of nuclear competition, former Pakistani ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi claims.
Speaking on a prime time show, Pakistan’s ex-Permanent Representative to the UN shared alarming information on what she described as “verified” reports, arguing that New Delhi reported moves toward operational sea-based nuclear deployment that could alter the strategic balance between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
“The possibility of another conflict cannot be ignored,” she cautioned, saying the reported deployment reflects a major evolution in India’s strategic posture. Her remarks come at a time when military modernization and regional deterrence are once again dominating security discussions across South Asia.
Highly credible sources have reported that India 🇮🇳 is working on installing nuclear warheads on its submarines.
The number of such submarines is around 12.
This information has reportedly come from SIPRI.
It’s represents a major threat to Pak.• Pak Ex-Amb Maleeha Lodhi. pic.twitter.com/FBmNbto3jn
— برهان الدین | Burhan uddin (@burhan_uddin_0) July 13, 2026
Defense analyst Major General (r) Zahid Mahmood said Pakistan remains fully prepared to counter any aggression, asserting that the country’s armed forces possess the capability to deliver a decisive response if challenged.
While India has not publicly acknowledged deploying nuclear warheads on operational submarines, recent assessments by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) have drawn international attention to this.
In its latest estimate for early 2026, SIPRI assesses that India possesses around 190 nuclear warheads, an increase over previous years. More notably, the institute estimates that around 12 warheads may now be operationally deployed, while the remainder remain in storage. This is first time SIPRI assessed that any Indian nuclear warheads are deployed with operational forces rather than being entirely kept in reserve.
The institute stressed that the assessment carries “considerable uncertainty.” According to SIPRI, India “may have started to deploy a small number of nuclear warheads on a single SSBN conducting occasional deterrence patrols,” highlighting that the conclusion is based on open-source analysis rather than official confirmation.
India is expanding fleet of Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), the sea-based component of its nuclear triad alongside land- and air-based nuclear forces. The neighboring country even commissioned multiple SSBNs, including INS Arihant, INS Arighaat, and the newer INS Aridhaman, with different configurations capable of carrying submarine-launched ballistic missiles such as the K-15 and the longer-range K-4.
The estimate of around 12 deployed warheads likely assumes that one submarine is conducting a deterrence patrol with nuclear-armed missiles onboard. If accurate, the move represents an important step toward a more survivable second-strike capability and a gradual shift from India’s long-held practice of keeping nuclear warheads separated from delivery systems during peacetime.
Despite growing discussion, New Delhi has neither confirmed nor denied the reported deployments. Like many nuclear-armed states, Delhi maintains strict secrecy regarding the operational status of its strategic arsenal. As a result, organizations such as SIPRI and the Federation of American Scientists rely on satellite imagery, missile testing records, defense procurement data, and expert analysis to estimate force structure and deployment patterns.
SIPRI and other leading research organizations estimate India’s nuclear arsenal at 170–190 warheads, while Pakistan is estimated to have roughly 170 nuclear warheads, although its nuclear doctrine differs.
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