Brief Historical Overview
As early as 26 June 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru, soon to be India's first Prime Minister, announced:
| “ | As long as the world is constituted as it is, every country will have to devise and use the latest devices for its protection. I have no doubt India will develop her scientific researches and I hope Indian scientists will use the atomic force for constructive purposes. But if India is threatened, she will inevitably try to defend herself by all means at her disposal. | ” |
India's loss of territory to China in a brief Himilayan border war in October, 1962 provided the New Delhi government impetus for developing nuclear weapons as a means of deterring potential Chinese aggression.
India's first nuclear test occurred on 18 May 1974. Since then India has conducted another series of tests at the Pokhran test range in the state of Rajasthan in 1998. India has an extensive civil and military nuclear program, which includes at least 10 nuclear reactors, uranium mining and milling sites, heavy water production facilities, a uranium enrichment plant, fuel fabrication facilities, and extensive nuclear research capabilities.
In 1998, as a response to the continuing tests, the United States and Japan imposed sanctions on India, which have since been lifted.
Read more about this topic: India And Weapons Of Mass Destruction
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