May 28, 1998 was a watershed moment in the South Asian regional political discourse when, Pakistan restored the strategic balance, by conducting six nuclear tests in response to India’s five nuclear tests, codenamed ‘Pokhran II’. It was expected by local and international observers that the overt ‘nuclearisation’ of India and Pakistan would introduce new dynamics…Read More Here
Seventeen Years of Deterrence by Ali Sarwar Naqvi
Seventeen years have passed since we conducted our five nuclear tests on the 28th of May, 1998 in the barren wastes of Chagai in Balochistan. The tests were conducted in direct response to India’s six nuclear tests of Operation Shakti held on May 11 and 13 the same year. The Indian nuclear tests were a…Read More Here
When Chaghi Hills Changed Colour
by Hajira Asaf Khan It was a hot and sunny Thursday, on the 28th of May, 1998—seventeen years ago—in the arid region of Chaghi, Pakistan. The only proof of a presumably intelligent life-form in the vicinity was a group of nuclear scientists, and some of the country’s top brass. They had all gathered at Chaghi…Read More Here
The Yemen Imbroglio by Ali Sarwar Naqvi
The ancient land of Yemen bore the name of ‘Arabia Felix’, roughly translated as Arabia the happy, in view of its salubrious climate, fertile land and plentiful water. This turned out to be ironic, because Yemen’s history through much of the time since then is a sad chronicle of endless wars and conflicts between ruling…Read More Here
A Great Deal of Instability by Ali Sarwar Naqvi
During President Obama’s recent visit to India, it was announced that the US and India had revived the hamstrung nuclear deal that was first conceived in Washington in July 2005, and enacted in the US Congress as law in the 123 Agreement of the Hyde Act in 2008, but had remained moribund since then. Thus,…Read More Here
Putin In India
President Putin much-heralded visit to India has now drawn to a close. Though it has injected a badly needed boost to a flagging bilateral relationship between India and Russia, the bubble of bonhomie and friendship that has been generated by the visit may not last too long. Just over a month later, President Obama is…Read More Here
Pakistan At The Hague
The third Nuclear Security Summit is taking place at The Hague. This summit is the third of its kind. The nuclear security summit process was born out of President Obama Prague speech of 2009 which envisaged a total of four summits, and under this format, the last one will be held in 2016, again in…Read More Here
