Islamabad was forced to test nuclear arms

Testing of atom bombs by India ended chances of weapons-free South Asia, Foreign Office says

Pakistan said yesterday it was forced to test nuclear weapons two decades ago due to “hostile posturing” by India.

Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal issued a statement on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the May 28, 1998 nuclear tests.

“Pakistan was forced to take that decision as a response, in self-defence, to the nuclear tests and accompanying hostile posturing by its neighbour. These developments unfortunately put an end to the prospect for keeping South Asia free of nuclear weapons — an objective which Pakistan had actively pursued,” he said, hinting at India.

India conducted a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions at the Pokhran in May, 1998, which was soon followed by Pakistan’s tests.

The spokesman said that despite the nuclear testing, Pakistan remained steadfast in its commitment to non-proliferation and global peace and strategic stability and demonstrated utmost restraint and responsibility in the stewardship of its nuclear capability since 1998.

“It is committed to the principle of credible minimum deterrence and has persistently sought deterrence stability in the region,” he said.

Faisal also said this objective drove Pakistan to offer and conclude several confidence building measures in the nuclear and conventional domains, including the 2004 Pakistan-India Joint Statement which recognised the respective nuclear capabilities of the two countries as a factor for stability.

He said as one of the most affected countries due to the impact of climate change, “Pakistan plans to increase its nuclear power generation capacity to 40,000MW by 2050, as a clean and cost-effective alternative to fossil fuel.”

Pakistan has consistently signalled its willingness to consider further measures for risk reduction and avoidance of arms race in the region, according to the spokesman.

He also said Pakistan was confident of its ability to deny space for any misadventure against the backdrop of rapidly expanding nuclear and conventional forces in its neighbourhood. “The nuclearisation of the Indian Ocean and canisterisation of ballistic missiles in our neighbourhood should be a matter of concern for the international community as well, since these developments have extra-regional ramifications,” he said.

The spokesman said that despite the nuclear testing, Pakistan remained steadfast in its commitment to non-proliferation and global peace and strategic stability and demonstrated utmost restraint.