External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday recollected how India conducted nuclear tests on this day in 1998 and ensured its national security.
”This day in 1998, an NDA Government finally exercised India’s nuclear weapon option. That momentous decision has since ensured our National Security,” he wrote on X.
The minister said the current NDA Government has built on that foundation, robustly countering terror and building border infrastructure.
”The country must know who stands where when it comes to National Security issues. Our political choices are eventually choices about the future of Bharat,” he further wrote.
The minister’s remarks come on the anniversary of the Pokhran tests conducted under the leadership of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
On May 11 and 13, 1998, India conducted five nuclear detonations at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan’s desert.
Following these tests, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) released detailed findings in 2009, confirming the success and expected yields of the nuclear devices based on comprehensive evaluations and simulations. India declared a moratorium on further nuclear testing after the Pokhran blasts.
Pakistan also conducted tit-for-tat nuclear tests in 1998.