India on Friday belatedly reacted to US President Donald Trump’s claim that Pakistan was testing nuclear weapons, stating that this is in keeping with Islamabad’s history of clandestine and illegal nuclear activities.
On Sunday, Trump had claimed in an interview with American broadcaster CBS that Pakistan, Russia, China and North Korea are testing nuclear weapons. India had not responded to media queries on Trump’s claims all week.
Responding to a query at the weekly briefing on Friday, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "Clandestine and illegal nuclear activities are in keeping with Pakistan’s history that is centred around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, the A.Q. Khan network and further proliferation."
Khan, regarded as the father of Pakistan’s atomic weapons programme, had set up shell companies in Dubai to acquire equipment needed for nuclear enrichment.
"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.
Jaiswal, however, did not comment on whether Trump’s latest remark that talks with India on trade are going very well and he may visit India next year is an indication that the Quad summit due in 2025 will be postponed to 2026 to coincide with his visit, or it will be held this year without him.
Barring North Korea, other nuclear-armed countries have not conducted tests since the 1990s. But this is of little consolation to India, given how Pyongyang helped Islamabad develop its nuclear weapons in the past.