Days after US reports exposed Pakistan's secret nuclear expansion programmes, Pakistan has now hit back with diversionary tactics, accusing India of building up its nuclear stockpile.
Pakistan has caught on to a senior Indian nuclear scientist's recent comments on the Pokhran tests and is now accusing India of building up its nuclear stockpile.
Pakistan's foreign office spokesperson, Abdul Basit has said that Pakistan hoped a unilateral moratorium on testing in South Asia would continue to be observed.
“We are obviously disturbed by the reports that India might be considering to conduct an additional nuclear test,” said Basit referring to reports that the recent claim by the former defence scientist, K. Santhanam, of the failure of the 1998 thermonuclear device test, was in fact a ruse by the Indian nuclear establishment to pave the way for conducting another nuclear test.
The spokesman said Pakistan had proposed a regional restraint regime, which included a regional nuclear test ban treaty.
“Those proposals are still on the table. Meanwhile, we hope that the unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing effective since 1998 in the region will continue to be observed,” Mr. Basit said.
Responding to remarks by the Indian Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor, expressing concern over reports of Pakistan’s expanding nuclear arsenal, the spokesman said it was Islamabad’s policy to maintain a credible deterrence at the “minimum possible level.” Pakistan was against an arms race in South Asia, which was why, he said, it had proposed the restraint regime, including a ban on further testing.
K Santhanam, a former DRDO scientist had alleged on August 26 this year that the nuclear tests conducted by the NDA regime at Pokhran in 1999 were duds and did not at all enhance the power of India's nuclear arsenal.
Santhanam, who was director for 1998 test site preparations, told Times of India that the yield for the thermonuclear test, or hydrogen bomb in popular usage, was much lower than what was claimed. He emphasised the need for India to conduct more tests to improve its nuclear weapons programme, and said India should not rush into signing the CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty).
News reports suggested that his comments had reopened the debate on whether India has all the data required and can manage with simulations.
“Based upon the seismic measurements and expert opinion from world over, it is clear that the yield in the thermonuclear device test was much lower than what was claimed. I think it is well documented and that is why I assert that India should not rush into signing the CTBT,” Santhanam told TOI.
The test was said to have yielded 45 kilotons (KT) but was challenged by western experts who said it was not more than 20 KT.
The exact yield of the thermonuclear explosion is important as during the heated debate on the India-US nuclear deal, it was strenuously argued by the government’s top scientists that no more tests were required for the weapons programme. It was said the disincentives the nuclear deal imposed on testing would not really matter as further tests were not required.
Pakistan has caught on to a senior Indian nuclear scientist's recent comments on the Pokhran tests and is now accusing India of building up its nuclear stockpile.
Pakistan's foreign office spokesperson, Abdul Basit has said that Pakistan hoped a unilateral moratorium on testing in South Asia would continue to be observed.
“We are obviously disturbed by the reports that India might be considering to conduct an additional nuclear test,” said Basit referring to reports that the recent claim by the former defence scientist, K. Santhanam, of the failure of the 1998 thermonuclear device test, was in fact a ruse by the Indian nuclear establishment to pave the way for conducting another nuclear test.
The spokesman said Pakistan had proposed a regional restraint regime, which included a regional nuclear test ban treaty.
“Those proposals are still on the table. Meanwhile, we hope that the unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing effective since 1998 in the region will continue to be observed,” Mr. Basit said.
Responding to remarks by the Indian Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor, expressing concern over reports of Pakistan’s expanding nuclear arsenal, the spokesman said it was Islamabad’s policy to maintain a credible deterrence at the “minimum possible level.” Pakistan was against an arms race in South Asia, which was why, he said, it had proposed the restraint regime, including a ban on further testing.
K Santhanam, a former DRDO scientist had alleged on August 26 this year that the nuclear tests conducted by the NDA regime at Pokhran in 1999 were duds and did not at all enhance the power of India's nuclear arsenal.
Santhanam, who was director for 1998 test site preparations, told Times of India that the yield for the thermonuclear test, or hydrogen bomb in popular usage, was much lower than what was claimed. He emphasised the need for India to conduct more tests to improve its nuclear weapons programme, and said India should not rush into signing the CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty).
News reports suggested that his comments had reopened the debate on whether India has all the data required and can manage with simulations.
“Based upon the seismic measurements and expert opinion from world over, it is clear that the yield in the thermonuclear device test was much lower than what was claimed. I think it is well documented and that is why I assert that India should not rush into signing the CTBT,” Santhanam told TOI.
The test was said to have yielded 45 kilotons (KT) but was challenged by western experts who said it was not more than 20 KT.
The exact yield of the thermonuclear explosion is important as during the heated debate on the India-US nuclear deal, it was strenuously argued by the government’s top scientists that no more tests were required for the weapons programme. It was said the disincentives the nuclear deal imposed on testing would not really matter as further tests were not required.
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