Statement I : India used the Minimum Credible Deterrent argument to de

Statement I : India used the Minimum Credible Deterrent argument to develop its nuclear weapon system arguing that it had such a threat from China. Pakistan in turn used the same argument against India when it developed its own nuclear weapons.
Statement II : The Minimum Credible Deterrent refers to a notion according to which nuclear weapons become necessary for a country when it has a clear nuclear threat.

Both the statements are individually true and statement II is the correct explanation of statement I
Both the statements are individually true but statement II is not the correct explanation of statement I
Statement I is true but statement II is false
Statement I is false but statement II is true
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2011
Both Statement I and Statement II are individually true, and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I. Statement I describes the historical application of the Minimum Credible Deterrent argument by India and Pakistan in the context of their nuclear weapons programs. Statement II provides a definition of the Minimum Credible Deterrent, explaining that nuclear weapons become necessary for a country when it faces a clear nuclear threat. This definition precisely explains *why* India and Pakistan would employ such an argument โ€“ they perceived nuclear threats (India from China, Pakistan from India) and therefore argued that a nuclear capability was necessary as a deterrent.
Minimum Credible Deterrent is a strategic posture where a state possesses just enough nuclear capability to deter an attack, particularly a nuclear attack, by threatening unacceptable retaliation. It emphasizes the ‘minimum’ requirement to deter, rather than seeking nuclear superiority or parity in numbers.
India officially adopted the policy of ‘Minimum Credible Deterrence’ after its 1998 nuclear tests, alongside a ‘No First Use’ policy. Pakistan has not adopted a ‘No First Use’ policy and its doctrine is often described as ‘Full Spectrum Deterrence’, though it also maintains a nuclear arsenal aimed at deterring India.