International outrage over nuclear testing in India and Pakistan
- Seismic waveforms and regional map, Indian Nuclear Test, 11 May 1998
Ten years ago, in May 1998, India and Pakistan carried out a total of five nuclear tests, thus breaking the de-facto moratorium that had been in place since the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) opened for signature in September 1996.
On 11 May 1998, the Indian Government carried out its first underground nuclear test since 1974 at its testing site at Pokhran, close to the border with Pakistan.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee promptly congratulated the scientists and engineers responsible for conducting the "successful tests", which were carried out without any warning to the international community and caused universal condemnation, including criticism by the UN Security Council. India carried out two more tests on 13 May 1998 and then announced that it had finished its testing programme. Pakistan retaliated by conducting two of its own nuclear tests on 28 May 1998 at the Ras Koh Range, leading to serious concerns of an arms race in the region.
- Seismic waveforms and regional map, Pakistani Nuclear Test, 28 May 1998
When these events took place, 150 States had already signed the CTBT, demonstrating their commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Six of the 44 Annex 2 States, whose ratification is necessary for the Treaty's entry into force, had also ratified by May 1998, including France and the United Kingdom, which are both nuclear weapon States. The Treaty prohibits all nuclear weapon test explosions and all other nuclear explosions (including peaceful nuclear explosions) on Earth. It constrains the development of new nuclear weapons, the qualitative improvement of existing weapons, and the development of advanced new types of weapons.
Although India was the first nation in the world to call for a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and initially participated in negotiations for the Treaty at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, it expressed discontent with the final draft of the Treaty and announced its intention not to sign. Pakistan initially voted in favour of the Treaty in 1996 after it was brought before the United Nations to bypass the Indian veto. However, Pakistan subsequently declined to accede to the CTBT unless India did the same.
