Page 274 - Failure to Triumph - Journey of A Student

weapons.

India’s nuclear programme

Every five years, a review was carried out on the progress of the NPT. In its final review in 1995, 25
years after the treaty came into force the nuclear states decided to hold their arsenals indefinitely.
This was a great blow to the aim of the treaty. Thus, India also decided to go nuclear and in May
1998, India exploded its first Nuclear Bomb at Pokhran in Rajasthan and became a nuclear power.

This was not liked by the nuclear states and sanctions were put against India. Our establishments and
scientists involved with the experiment were denied access to sophisticated classified equipment.
The world is now realizing the ground reality and has once again tried to engage us in nuclear talk. It
is said that both India and Pakistan, have nuclear weapons which can be fired from land, sea and air.

India’s nuclear policy

“No first Use” is the policy of India. It has the ‘Second Strike Capability’, means after surviving the
first salvo of the enemy, it will strike in a big way. It will also not use nuclear weapons against those
countries which do not possess nuclear weapons. As part of the confidence building measures with
Pakistan, it has been agreed that both countries should try that these weapons do not fall in the hands

of the terrorists.

NUCLEAR PROGRAMME OF NORTH KOREA AND IRAN

Two countries, Iran and North Korea are in the news due to their nuclear programmes. As Iran’s
authorities are saying their nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, North Korea is determined to
carry on with its military programme. Both the programmes are likely to disturb the nuclear equation
in Asia.

Iran

Iran is signatory to the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which permits non-nuclear states to use the
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Iran takes the encouragement from this clause and conveys to
the World that it is her right to use the nuclear energy for producing electricity. The Americans and
European Union think it otherwise. As per these powers, Iran’s nuclear programme is for producing
nuclear weapons and not for peaceful purposes. These powers argue that Iran is not deficient of
energy as it is exporting oil and gas all over the world. So the Iranian argument is not justified. It is

also known to the world that Pakistan’s nuclear scientist Mr. A Q Khan has helped Iran in getting the
nuclear know-how. It has been secretly developing nuclear material. It is being claimed that Iran has
missiles that can hit targets in Israel. It is a well known fact that since the Shah of Iran was deposed in
1980, the relations between Iran and USA have deteriorated. The new President is a hardliner and he
has already announced that the nuclear programme will not be abandoned. The Americans are not

directly talking to Iran over these developments. They are talking through EU i.e., Germany, France