Abstract
The Indian nuclear tests on 11 and 13 May, 1998 lifted the shroud of ambiguity that had defined the nuclear postures of both India and Pakistan for well over a quarter of a century. Pakistan’s reactive tests on May 28 and 30 1998, confirmed this belief. How many weapons and of what quality, and how they would be delivered continue to remain a subject of speculation. The ‘bomb-in-thebasement’ posturing served two important purposes—covert development of wide-ranging nuclear technologies for military uses in an effort to escape international sanctions, and dissuading the regional rival from taking the next step towards weaponization. The historical roots of confrontation between India and Pakistan are complex. Pakistan’s anxieties and fears about India are rooted as much in the imbalance of power and India’s design for regional security as in the pre-Partition communal conflict and contrasting ideas about nationalism. Pakistan had a very limited resource base for balancing what it saw as a looming Indian threat.
Published Version
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