Pokhran-II: A moment of profound epiphany

May 11, 2023

Context:

Twenty-five years ago, on May 18, 1974, India conducted its first nuclear test and termed it a “peaceful nuclear explosion.

On May 11, 1998, the veil was finally lifted when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee explicitly announced that India is now a nuclear weapons state.

The consequences:

The United States imposed sanctions against India under the Glenn Amendment.
Pakistan conducted a series of nuclear tests.
China castigated India for what it saw as an “outrageous contempt for the common will of the international community.”

Present Scenario:

In 2023, it is evident that the nuclear tests reflected a moment of profound epiphany, an awakening of India’s self-confidence and an awareness of its potential.
India’s status, security and ability to influence the international system received arguably the greatest fillip.

Contribution made by Indian Personalities:

Personality	Role in India’s Nuclear Programme
Jawaharlal Nehru	Advocated for nuclear energy for peaceful purposes to prevent India from becoming a slave country.
Lal Bahadur Shastri	Gave green signal to pursue India’s nuclear weapon option.
Homi Bhabha	Known as the “father of India’s nuclear programme”.
Indira Gandhi	Sanctioned India’s first nuclear test in May 1974.
Raja Ramanna	Architect of India’s first nuclear test, revealed it was a weapon test.
Rajiv Gandhi	In 1988-89, Gave go-ahead to begin creating an Indian nuclear deterrent.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee	Government took the decision to test nuclear weapons.

Dispelling Beliefs:

India would be isolated and its economy would collapse under the weight of sanctions and international opprobrium.
- The democratic India, with its blemish-free non-proliferation record, was too big and important to be marginalised.
- Instead, the U.S. took the first steps to mainstream India, treating it as an exceptional case, which culminated in the India-U.S. Civil Nuclear Agreement in 2005.

Ethnocentric myth perpetuated by non-proliferation absolutists of the West that India and South Asia could not be “trusted” to manage nuclear weapons.
- In reality, whether it be in terms of a well-thought-out nuclear doctrine, C4I (command, control, communications, computers and intelligence) structures required to manage nuclear weapons, deterrence and the escalation ladder and to ensure flexibility of response, India has far more sophisticated measures.

Conclusion:

As Ukraine, which renounced nuclear weapons, faces nuclear threats and ‘blackmail’ from Russia, India must celebrate the wisdom and sagacity of its leaders (political and scientific) who refused to capitulate under pressure, and helped to develop a credible nuclear deterrent against fierce odds.

News Source: The Hindu