`Pakistan averted three wars with India after nuclear tests`

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Pakistan has averted three wars with India, thanks to its nuclear capabilities, said nuclear scientist Dr Samar Mubarakmand. In an interview to The Nation, the nuclear physicist revealed that Pakistan took the decision to conduct nuclear tests in May 1998 at a meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet, which was held two weeks prior to the explosion in Chagai, Balochistan. Dr Mubarakmand, the senior scientist who played a key role in making Pakistan a nuclear state, said all the attendees of the May 14th DCC meeting, including the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, gave their go ahead to nuclear tests by Pakistan as its response to the five tests carried out by India three days ago. After taking all its friendly countries into confidence, Pakistan on May 28 carried out five tests and on May 30, exploded another nuclear device to move a step ahead of India. The Nation further quoted the nuclear scientist as saying that after Pakistan became a nuclear power, three wars with India were averted only because New Delhi knew that Islamabad was in a position to come up with a matching response. He cited the 1999 Kargil episode, then in 2002 when India deployed troops on its border with Pakistan and in 2008, after Mumbai attacks, the tense ties between the two sides did not lead to a war because of the nuclear capability of Pakistan.