The Indian government has strongly reacted to former US President Donald Trump’s recent claim that Pakistan is secretly conducting nuclear weapons tests, calling such activities consistent with Pakistan’s long history of clandestine nuclear proliferation. Responding to Trump’s comments made during an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes on November 2, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Pakistan’s nuclear record is tainted with decades of illegal operations, covert collaborations, and global violations.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated on Friday that “clandestine and illegal nuclear activities are in keeping with Pakistan’s history, which is centred around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, the AQ Khan network, and further proliferation.” Jaiswal added that India has consistently raised concerns before the international community about Pakistan’s nuclear behaviour. He said that Trump’s statement about Pakistan’s nuclear testing “has been taken note of in this backdrop.”
During his interview with CBS, Trump asserted that several countries were carrying out nuclear tests despite global restrictions. “Russia’s testing, and China’s testing — but they don’t talk about it. We are going to test because they test, and others test. And certainly, North Korea’s been testing. Pakistan’s been testing,” Trump said, offering no further clarification or evidence.
His remarks quickly ignited speculation online, with analysts and social media users suggesting that Pakistan may have secretly resumed nuclear testing earlier this year. Observers pointed to a cluster of low-magnitude earthquakes that struck the Afghanistan–Pakistan border region between April 30 and May 12, registering magnitudes of 4.0 to 4.7 — readings strikingly similar to those produced during Pakistan’s 1998 Chagai-I and Chagai-II nuclear explosions.
Pakistan, however, swiftly dismissed the claims. A senior Pakistani security official told CBS News that the country “will not be the first to resume nuclear tests,” reiterating Islamabad’s long-held position that it maintains restraint unless provoked. “Pakistan was not the first to carry out nuclear tests and will not be the first to resume nuclear tests,” the official said, firmly denying any recent underground activity.
Trump’s comments come amid a period of cautious diplomatic engagement between Islamabad and Washington. In recent months, Pakistan’s leadership has sought to rebuild ties with Trump’s administration, aligning itself with his foreign policy positions despite the growing strain with the Biden-led White House. Analysts believe the nuclear speculation could complicate Pakistan’s ongoing attempts to portray itself as a responsible nuclear power to the global community.
Pakistan has not officially conducted a nuclear test since May 1998, when it detonated six devices in the Chagai Hills of Balochistan in response to India’s Pokhran-II nuclear tests earlier that same month. The tests established Pakistan as the world’s seventh declared nuclear power and marked the beginning of a regional arms race.
While there has been no concrete evidence to support Trump’s latest assertion, India’s reaction underscores its long-standing concern that Pakistan’s nuclear network continues to pose a proliferation threat. The MEA’s statement also serves as a reminder of India’s efforts to highlight Islamabad’s past record of nuclear smuggling, its association with disgraced scientist A.Q. Khan, and the global spread of nuclear technology to other nations through illicit means.
The controversy has revived international focus on South Asia’s nuclear stability, at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan remain high and global non-proliferation frameworks face increasing strain.
