Defence Minister tweets after visiting nuclear test site in Pokhran

The future of India’s No First Use (NFU) policy on nuclear weapons depended on “circumstances,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said from the nuclear test site in Pokhran on Friday.

August 16, 2019, marks the first death anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, under whose government India conducted nuclear tests in 1998.

“Pokhran is the area which witnessed Atalji’s firm resolve to make India a nuclear power and yet remain firmly committed to the doctrine of NFU. India has strictly adhered to this doctrine. What happens in future depends on the circumstances,” he said in a post on Twitter after visiting Pokhran.

Mr. Singh added that India attaining the status of a responsible nuclear nation became a matter of national pride for every citizen of the country and, for this, the nation would remain indebted to the greatness of Vajpayee.

India has put in place its nuclear doctrine with NFU and massive retaliation forming its core tenets soon after it tested nuclear weapons in the summer of 1998. The concept of maintaining a minimum credible deterrence and a nuclear triad for delivery of nuclear weapons based on aircraft, missiles and nuclear submarines flow from that.

Mr. Singh stopped over in Pokhran on the way to attend the closing ceremony of the 5th International Army Scout Masters Competition at the Jaisalmer military station. Indian Army has won the competition that has eight participating teams from Armenia, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, India, Russia, Sudan and Uzbekistan. India participated in the games for the first time. The competition is part of the International Army Games organised by the Ministry of Defence, Russia.