By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan on Friday forcefully denied conducting any nuclear tests since May 1998, dismissing Indian allegations of clandestine nuclear activities as “baseless and malicious” and accusing New Delhi of distorting facts to divert attention from its own lapses in nuclear security.
The rebuttal from Pakistan’s Foreign Office came in response to comments by India’s Ministry of External Affairs, which had cited a recent remark by former President Donald J. Trump suggesting that Pakistan had been testing nuclear weapons.
Islamabad had initially refrained from addressing Trump’s statement to avoid straining ties with Washington, but broke its silence after Indian officials referenced it during a media briefing. “For the record, Pakistan’s last nuclear tests were conducted in May 1998,” said Tahir Andrabi, the Foreign Office spokesman. “Our position on nuclear testing is well established and consistent.”
Pakistan has adhered to a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear testing since its 1998 tests, which were carried out in response to India’s own nuclear detonations that month. However, Pakistan has not signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, preserving the option to resume testing should its security situation, especially in relation to India, worsen.
Andrabi highlighted Pakistan’s support for United Nations General Assembly resolutions advocating a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing. “In contrast, India’s abstentions on these resolutions reflect its ambiguous and questionable intentions on future nuclear testing,” he said. The exchange underscores the enduring tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, whose rivalry has long centered on issues of security, proliferation and regional dominance in South Asia.
Trump’s comment surfaced in a recent interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” where he claimed that “Pakistan’s been testing” nuclear weapons. Pakistan chose not to respond at the time, but the Foreign Office acted after Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, invoked it on Friday.
“Clandestine and illegal nuclear activities are in keeping with Pakistan’s history, that is centered around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, AQ Khan network and further proliferation,” Mr. Jaiswal said. “India has always drawn the attention of the international community to these aspects of Pakistan’s record. In this backdrop, we have taken note of President Trump’s comment about Pakistan’s nuclear testing.”
Andrabi rejected the Indian statement outright. “India is clearly distorting facts and misrepresenting the remarks of US President Donald Trump,” he said. “The US side has already clarified its position to the media regarding the statements by the president.”
He stressed the integrity of Pakistan’s nuclear program, describing it as operating “under a robust command and control structure, comprehensive export controls, and an impeccable record of compliance with the global non-proliferation regime.”
“Allegations of ‘clandestine or illegal nuclear activities’ are baseless, malicious, and part of India’s disinformation campaign aimed at diverting attention from its own irresponsible conduct,” Andrabi added.
Turning the spotlight on India, the Pakistani spokesman criticised New Delhi’s nuclear safety and security record as “deeply concerning.” He pointed to “numerous incidents involving the theft and illicit trafficking of sensitive nuclear material and other radioactive substances” over the past several decades, which he said exposed “serious deficiencies in India’s ability to safeguard its facilities.”
“As recently as last year, radioactive equipment from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, along with the highly radioactive substance Californium (valued at over $100 million) was found on sale in India,” Andrabi said. Such recurring episodes, he argued, indicated “the existence of a thriving nuclear black market for sensitive and dual-use materials in India.” “The international community must take serious note of these alarming gaps, which pose a grave threat to both regional and global security,” he concluded.
The back-and-forth arrives amid broader uncertainties in global nonproliferation efforts, with both South Asian powers maintaining sizable nuclear arsenals outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty framework. Analysts have long warned that any escalation in rhetoric or perceived threats could heighten risks in an already volatile region.
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