'Clandestine Nuclear Activities In Keeping With Pakistan's History': MEA On Trump's Claim

Last Updated:November 07, 2025, 17:52 IST

The Ministry of External Affairs took note of Donald Trump's recent claim that Pakistan has resumed nuclear testing, after the latter ordered resumption of nuclear tests in the US.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. (MEA)

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said it has taken note of US President Donald Trump’s recent claim that Pakistan has resumed nuclear testing, saying such clandestine and illegal activities are in keeping with the country’s history.

“Clandestine and illegal nuclear activities are in keeping with Pakistan’s history, that is centered around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, AQ Khan network and further proliferation," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a press briefing.

“India has always drawn the attention of the international community to these aspects of Pakistan’s record. In this backdrop, we have taken note of President Trump’s comment about Pakistan’s nuclear testing," Jaiswal added.

He also said that India’s position on the nuclear issue has been raised in Geneva.

Trump’s Remarks On Pakistan Nuclear Testing

This came after Trump ordered the Department of War to resume nuclear testing, something that has not been seen since the Cold War and fuelling concerns over a new nuclear arms race as Russia and China expanded their testing programmes. Trump said he made the decision as other countries like Pakistan and North Korea are also expanding their testing programmes.

In his CBS 60 Minutes interview, Trump went further, claiming that “Russia’s testing and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it… Certainly North Korea’s been testing. Pakistan’s been testing." He also repeated the claim that both India and Pakistan were on the verge of a nuclear war earlier this year, an escalation he claimed to have prevented.

A senior Pakistani official told CBS News that the country “will not be the first to resume nuclear tests" in response to Trump’s remarks. “Pakistan was not the first to carry out nuclear tests and will not be the first to resume nuclear tests," the official said.

Pakistan Denies Trump’s Nuclear Test Claim, But How Did It Build The Bomb In The First Place?

Pakistan began its nuclear tests in May 1998, building on the expertise of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, a metallurgist who worked in Europe. Pakistan conducted five underground nuclear tests at Chagai Hills in Balochistan, code-named “Chagai-I" in 1998.

Today, Pakistan is estimated to possess around 170 nuclear warheads, according to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) Yearbook 2025. SIPRI notes that Pakistan continues to develop new missile delivery systems and produce fissile material at a steady pace, signs of a country actively expanding its arsenal despite lacking transparency or robust oversight mechanisms.

Meanwhile, India, which carried out its first nuclear test in 1974 and the Pokhran-II series in 1998, maintains a doctrine of “credible minimum deterrence" and a declared no-first-use policy. Since 1998, it has voluntarily refrained from further testing. Both India and Pakistan are not signatories of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).

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