“If we have to eat grass, we will, even go hungry, but we will build our own nuclear deterrent.” This statement by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto reflected Pakistan’s determination to ensure its security in a hostile regional environment. That determination did not remain just a political message; it shaped the country’s strategic direction over the years.
For Pakistan, 28 May 1998 became the moment when that long-standing determination turned into reality. On that day, a decisive step transformed decades of pressure, insecurity, and strategic uncertainty into an open demonstration of nuclear capability.
What followed was not just a scientific milestone but a major geopolitical shift that altered South Asia’s strategic balance and forced the world to reassess Pakistan’s position, resolve, and strategic reality.
This development was the outcome of a long and difficult regional experience. Since its creation in 1947, Pakistan has lived under the shadow of hostility from its eastern neighbor that never truly accepted its existence. For many in India’s political and strategic circles, the very idea of Pakistan remained difficult to digest, shaping decades of confrontation and recurring conflict.
Read More: Confrontational Policies of India and Pakistan Under the Nuclear Shadow
From the wars of 1965 and 1971 to continued military pressure and aggressive rhetoric, Pakistan consistently faced a security environment marked by instability and threats. The 1971 war, in particular, left a deep scar on Pakistan’s national memory, as India played a direct role in the separation of East Pakistan. Despite these developments, international institutions such as the United Nations (UN) largely failed to restrain Indian aggression and the rise of Hindutva-driven politics.
Faced with repeated wars, security pressures, and an increasingly assertive India, Pakistan had no option but to acquire nuclear capability to deter India’s aggressive ambitions. Therefore, in May 1998, Pakistan carried out nuclear tests in Chagai, sending a clear message that the country possessed both the resolve and capability to defend itself from any external threats.
During the late 1990s, South Asia’s strategic environment became increasingly unstable as India rapidly advanced its military capabilities. Under the government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India carried out nuclear tests in 1998 and the development of its missile program, including systems such as Prithvi and Agni with significantly longer ranges.
This expansion of strategic capabilities created a growing perception of imbalance in the region. At the same time, Pakistan’s deterrent capability remained comparatively limited, with reliance on shorter-range systems and an urgent need to restore strategic equilibrium.
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As tension escalated, political statements and warnings from Indian leadership further deepened insecurity in Pakistan, making it increasingly clear that India’s ambitions can only be restrained through credible deterrence.
As Pakistan moved closer to conducting nuclear tests, international pressure also intensified. At the time, the US President Bill Clinton engaged personally with Pakistan’s leadership, urging restraint and warning of serious economic and diplomatic consequences if nuclear tests were carried out.
Washington also attempted to discourage Pakistan through a mix of incentives and pressure, including financial assistance packages and the return or compensation related to military equipment such as F-16 aircraft. At a later stage, warnings became even more direct, with concerns expressed that Pakistan could face strict international sanctions similar to those imposed on Iraq if it crossed the nuclear threshold.
Despite these pressures, Pakistan did not alter its course and proceeded with its nuclear tests, rejecting both inducements and threats, and ultimately marked a moment where its decision stood firm despite sustained external pressure. With this development, Pakistan formally entered a new nuclear reality defined by deterrence.
Read More: From Pokhran to Chagai: The Nuclear Tests That Reshaped South Asia
Youm-e-Takbir marked a decisive turning point after which no adversary could easily challenge Pakistan’s sovereignty. The success of operations such as Bunyan-un-Marsoos reflected the strategic confidence, resilience, and deterrent strength that was the result of that historic decision. Despite asymmetries in size and resources, Pakistan has consistently demonstrated its capacity to defend its territorial integrity against a far larger adversary.
A comparison with Iran is equally instructive: even without nuclear weapons, and while burdened by severe sanctions and crises, Iran has drawn the world’s most powerful state, the US, into prolonged strategic entanglements from which Washington is struggling to disengage.
The situation has increasingly compelled the US to seek wider diplomatic and strategic support from China and NATO allies in an effort to pull itself out of the growing strategic deadlock it now faces.
If Iran alone can stretch a superpower into strategic difficulty without nuclear capability, then the strategic weight of nuclear Pakistan is a reality that India should not risk misreading.
*The views presented in this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Diplomatic Insight.
Shahzadi Irrum
Shahzadi Irrum is an Assistant Research Fellow at Balochistan Think Tank Network, Quetta. She can be reached at shahzadi.irrum@bttn.org.pk
