Pakistan is conducting nuclear tests; Donald Trump claims

Washington, DC (USA) – North Korea, China and Russia are conducting nuclear tests. Pakistan is conducting nuclear tests too. Other countries conduct tests; therefore, we will conduct tests as well, US President Donald Trump said in an interview.

The United States has not carried out nuclear tests for many years. These tests were halted as agreed upon by countries, including Russia and the United States. Russia, while commenting, said it had not carried out any nuclear-bomb test.

All countries testing nukes creates a global danger, says Trump

Trump went on to say that many countries carry out underground nuclear tests in secrecy, and those tests are not disclosed to anyone. ‘We’re an open society. We’re different. We talk about it. We have to talk about it because otherwise you people are going to report. But other countries’ nuclear tests are completely secret, and therefore they say nothing about them. America will now test nuclear bombs. We have the largest number of nuclear weapons in the world. If all countries are conducting tests, that is a danger to the world. So even if others do not speak about it, we will, he said, arguing that even though the US is most advanced in nuclear weapons, testing is still necessary.

India should seize the opportunity to test, too, defence experts say

Some Indian defence experts argue that if the US, Russia and China resume nuclear testing, India should also take the opportunity to re-test its hydrogen bomb. India could then validate the weapons required for newer, more powerful warheads and for smaller delivery systems such as new missiles.

Prof. Happymon Jacob wrote on social media: ‘Should the U.S. resume nuclear testing, India must seize the opportunity to conduct its own thermonuclear tests, thus validating its deterrent & putting an end to lingering doubts about the success of the 1998 thermonuclear tests (sic)’.

Did Pakistan’s nuclear tests cause earthquakes?

Earlier this year, in April and May, there were several small consecutive tremors felt in Pakistan. At the time, claims went viral that Pakistan was conducting underground nuclear tests. The tremors—occurring over three days—sparked discussion about possible nuclear testing. These shocks were felt in Pakistan’s northern and western regions, and some experts suggested the possibility of covert nuclear testing. After the Pahalgam attack, when tensions between India and Pakistan rose, similar claims were made that Pakistan was conducting underground nuclear tests in areas like the Kirana Hills; however, these claims were never officially confirmed, and the Pakistani government also gave no acknowledgement.

Editorial Perspectives

• If the US knows that Pakistan is carrying out nuclear tests, why isn’t it imposing sanctions on it? When India conducted such tests in 1998, the US was quick to slap multiple sanctions on India.
• Why is Trump so eager to embrace and flaunt Pakistan, the very country conducting these nuclear tests?
• If Pakistan can test nuclear weapons without facing any opposition from the US, then India too should go ahead and conduct its own tests!