BY Azhar Zeeshan
Hans J. Morgenthau, one of the most renowned strategist, once famously wrote in his magnum opus book, The Politics Among Nations, that “the weak is meat which the powerful eat”. Morgenthau was actually referring to one of the harsh realities of the international system, which is characterised by anarchy and where there is only one currency for survival, i.e., power. And what can be the greater source of power than a nuclear weapon? So, it was precisely this desire for survival and security that led Pakistan to conduct successful nuclear explosions 27 years ago and become the seventh nuclear power of the world. The journey to this historic day is a tale of exceptional foresight, and extraordinary sacrifices. It is a tale that is worth reiterating here on this memorable day.
The genesis of Pakistan’s nuclear program is deeply rooted in its security needs. These security needs were felt tremendously in the aftermath of the 1971 War with India, which resulted in the dismemberment of the Eastern wing of Pakistan. The war highlighted the limitations of Pakistan’s conventional military strategy. However, at the same time, it also managed to effect a change in Pakistan’s strategic thinking, particularly in the context of pursuing a nuclear weapon, which is deemed as the ultimate deterrent. The change, which was already in place, was pushed through with new vigour, after India conducted the so called peaceful nuclear tests in 1974, codenamed ‘Smiling Buddha,’ The then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, aptly captured this renewed commitment towards the pursuit of nuclear weapons in the words, “If India builds the bomb, we will eat grass, even go hungry, but we will get one of our own… We have no other choice!!”
In due course, the successive governments remained committed to this pursuit despite facing considerable diplomatic and economic pressures from around the world. It finally achieved its objective on 28 May 1998, when Pakistan detonated five nuclear devices in the Ras Koh Mountains of Chagai, Balochistan. The tests, which were codenamed Chagai-I, yielded an estimated total yield of 40 kilotons. These tests were followed by another test which was codenamed as Chagai-II in the Desert of Kharan. These tests sealed Pakistan’s status an official nuclear power state. This feat was made possible by the tireless and timeless efforts of many unsung heroes, which includes scientists, engineers, and technicians from Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and Kahuta Research Laboratories, under the leadership of towering figures such as Munir Ahmed Khan and Dr Abdul Qadir Khan, respectively.
However, after all these years, as we celebrate this achievement, many nuclear pessimists often raise this important question: Was the pursuit of nuclear weapons worth it? The answer to this is a resounding yes. Since Pakistan has acquired nuclear capability, it has proven its worth time and again, be it the Kargil War of 1999 or the more recent Balakot Crisis of 2019. It has successfully prevented what could have been catastrophic and full scale conflicts by keeping the belligerence of India at bay and by maintaining the overall strategic stability in one of the world’s most volatile regions. The strategic value of nuclear weapons becomes even clearer when one do a comparative analysis with the other states, particularly those states that have either relinquished or never acquired nuclear capabilities. Consider the example of Ukraine, for that matter.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine inherited the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world overnight. However, it gave up on them following its accession to the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). The decision at the time was lauded by many, except one: John J. Mearsheimer, the founder of Offensive Realism, who, while criticising Ukraine’s decision argued that without these weapons, Ukraine would not stand a chance against a nuclear-armed Russia, and no state, including the US, will extend meaningful security guarantees. Fast forward to 2025, and his prediction turned out to be correct: Russia is engulfing parts of Ukraine, meanwhile, the US has washed off its hands from the conflict and is standing on the side as a spectator.
The Ukranian experience screams one truth – Z.A. Bhutto was right. That defiant oath to “eat grass” was not mere rhetoric but a prophecy, written in the blood of nations that gambled on goodwill over strategic deterrence. Today, as we celebrate Yom-e-Takbeer, our nuclear shield glows in the dark like an unsleeping sentinel conveying this unshakable truth that Pakistan would rather walk hungry with its head high than feast on the crumbs of subjugation.Long Live Pakistan!
Azhar Zeeshan is a research assistant at the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS), Lahore. He can be reached at [email protected]
