Why do you think so? Its is nothing like that!!! India can test ASAT anytime and no one can do anything or new sanctions. If India tests ASAT tomorrow, what signal will it give to rest of the world? Even US had to make a drama of non-functionality of a military satellite and its danger to human life. China wanted to do it in secret but thanks to NORAD, they couldn't and violate basic international understanding like Outer Space Treaty which signed by both China and India. If we test an ASAT this will spread another few thousands of satellite debris particles in the space. But India has a long standing policy of supporting peaceful use of outer space. So the ASATs should be ready for only when they are needed. Its nothing about sanction or anything else. India is already under sanction for last twelve years since Pokhran test but did that blocked our space and nuclear programmes? NO.
Yes they can place sanctions on ISRO,DRDO and other organisations on which the sanctions were only lifted after hectic diplomatic moves making these orgs accesible to the best of the best stuff which will obviously help us in maturing our own tech.
......And what were the effect of the sanctions --- projects that were scheduled to be finished years back were prolonged for years. And even then the sanctions are not only about weapons. It is about economy. Our economy needs to grow at the current pace for another 10 years atleast before we can call oourselves anything meaning superpower.
And this is the time we are potraying ourselves as a 'responsible' power in order to entry into exclusive clubs like P5, MTCR,NSG etc. Testing an ASAT now will have disastorous impact on all of these.
The solution is let the economy grow at this same pace without rocking the boat for another decade and then even if we do another nuke test no one will botherto do anything except some condemnations.
Testing an ASAT has nothing to do with entering NSG or anything else. And there is no question of any more sanctions! This is 2011 not 1998. Time has changed. Its not sanction that restricting India to go for a test. What is restring, I have already posted in my previous post.
Yes time has changed , But not enough.
We must let our economy grow at the same pace acting like 'responsible power' for atleast another decade and believe me after that no one will question us even if we conduct another Pokhran.
Yes, it (sanctions) are not the
only thing restricting India --- but they are also one of the important reasons.