Illicit nuclear activities in Pakistan align with its history, we note Trumps claim of secret tests: MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday responded to US President Donald Trumps recent comments suggesting Pakistan was secretly testing nuclear weapons, saying that clandestine and illegal nuclear activities were in keeping with Pakistans history. MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, Clandestine and illegal nuclear activities are in keeping with Pakistan's history, that is centred around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, AQ Khan network and further proliferation. India has always drawn the attention of the international community to these aspects of Pakistans record. In this backdrop, we have taken note of President Trump's comment about Pakistans nuclear testing. Trump, in an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes on November 2, claimed that Russia, China and Pakistan were testing nuclear weapons. He said, Russia's testing, and China's testing, but they don't talk about it...We are gonna test, because they test, and others test. And certainly North Korea's been testing. Pakistan's been testing, though he did not provide specific evidence or details. His remarks sparked widespread speculation that Pakistan might have secretly conducted nuclear tests between April and May this year. The conjecture came after a series of earthquakes struck the Afghanistan-Pakistan region between April 30 and May 12, with magnitudes ranging from 4.0 to 4.7readings reportedly similar to those recorded during Pakistans Chagai-I and Chagai-II nuclear tests on May 28 and 30, 1998. #WATCH | Delhi | MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, Clandestine and illegal nuclear activities are in keeping with Pakistans history, that is centered around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, AQ Khan network and further pic.twitter.com/4B4Gwe8xEE ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 Pakistan has consistently denied carrying out any nuclear tests. A senior Pakistani security official in response to Trump told CBS News that the country will not be the first to resume nuclear tests, emphasizing that Pakistan was not the first to carry out nuclear tests and will not be the first to resume nuclear tests. The officials rebuttal came at a time when Pakistan has been seeking to align itself with Trumps positions, reportedly as part of efforts to reset bilateral ties, even as Islamabad faces geopolitical and regional pressures. Pakistan has not conducted any official nuclear tests since 1998, when it responded to Indias Pokhran-II nuclear tests in Rajasthan. Since then, Islamabad has maintained that it observes a unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing, despite not being a signatory to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which bans all nuclear explosions, whether for military or civilian purposes. The United States has been a signatory to the CTBT since 1996 and conducted its last nuclear test in 1992. Other major powers, including Russia and China, have not conducted nuclear detonations since 1990 and 1996, respectively. North Korea remains the only country known to have conducted nuclear tests in recent decades.