Sunday, February 20 2005 12:11 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Pakistan could use nuclear weapons to counter India's larger conventional forces if a war breaks out, though both countries know the likely price to be paid for starting a conflict, a threat assessment report of the CIA has said.

"India and Pakistan appear to understand the likely prices to be paid by triggering a conflict. But nationalistic feelings run high and are not likely to abate.

"Under plausible scenarios, Pakistan might use nuclear weapons to counter success by the larger Indian conventional forces, particularly given Pakistan's lack of strategic depth," the report, brought out by the National Intelligence Council and the CIA, said.

The report, titled 'Mapping the Global Future: Pervasive Insecurity', also pointed out that several countries without nuclear weapons in Asia and the Middle East could decide to seek them.

"The assistance of proliferators, including former private entrepreneurs such as the A Q Khan network, will reduce the time required for additional countries to develop nuclear weapons," it said.

Over the next 15 years, a number of countries will "continue to pursue their nuclear, chemical (CW) and biological (BW) weapons programmes and in some cases will enhance their capabilities."

The report said that developments in CW and BW and proliferation of related expertise would "pose a substantial threat particularly from terrorists".