- FO spokesperson calls accusations a disinformation ploy, highlights India’s nuclear safety lapses
- Reaffirms 1998 moratorium, saying New Delhi twisting Trump’s 2019 remark
- Points to radioactive material thefts, urgings global scrutiny of India’s black market
- Underscores Pakistan’s nuclear testing record was ‘clear, consistent and verifiable’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday firmly rejected India’s accusations of conducting covert nuclear tests, calling New Delhi’s allegations “baseless, malicious and part of a disinformation campaign,” as Islamabad reiterated that it has not carried out any nuclear tests since May 1998.
Responding to questions from the media, Foreign Office Spokesman Tahir Andrabi underscored that Pakistan’s nuclear testing record was “clear, consistent, and verifiable,” adding, “For the record, Pakistan’s last nuclear tests were conducted in May 1998. Our position on nuclear testing is well established and consistent.”
He recalled that Pakistan had maintained a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear testing since its 1998 series of tests conducted in response to India’s explosions, even as Islamabad had deliberately avoided signing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) to retain the strategic flexibility required in a deteriorating regional security environment.
Andrabi noted that Pakistan had consistently supported UN General Assembly resolutions calling for a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing, while India’s repeated abstentions “reflect its ambiguous and questionable intentions on future nuclear testing.”
The FO’s sharp rebuttal came after India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) invoked a 2019 comment by former US president Donald Trump—who had claimed in a CBS 60 Minutes interview that “Pakistan’s been testing” nuclear weapons—a remark Islamabad had previously chosen not to contest to avoid unnecessary friction with Washington.
🔊PR No.3️⃣3️⃣0️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣
Statement by the Spokesperson https://t.co/pcCDQoclub pic.twitter.com/FOmxfORqjn
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 7, 2025
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, however, revived the claim on Friday, linking it to longstanding Indian allegations regarding Pakistan’s nuclear past. He accused Pakistan of a “history centered around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, the AQ Khan network and further proliferation,” adding that India had “taken note of President Trump’s comment.”
The FO dismissed the statement, insisting that India was “distorting facts” and that the US side had already clarified its position regarding Trump’s remarks.
Andrabi stressed that Pakistan’s nuclear programme operated under a robust command-and-control system, backed by stringent export controls and “an impeccable record of compliance with the global non-proliferation regime.”
He counter-accused India of attempting to shift focus from its own troubling nuclear track record: “Allegations of ‘clandestine or illegal nuclear activities’ are baseless, malicious, and part of India’s disinformation campaign aimed at diverting attention from its own irresponsible conduct.”
The spokesman said India’s nuclear safety and security record remained “deeply concerning,” pointing to decades of thefts, trafficking incidents, and illicit sales of sensitive nuclear and radioactive materials.
He noted that as recently as last year, highly radioactive material—including equipment from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and the dangerous isotope Californium, valued at over $100 million—had been found on open sale inside India.
Such incidents, he added, “point to the existence of a thriving nuclear black market for sensitive and dual-use materials in India,” warning that the international community must take serious note of “these alarming gaps” that threaten regional and global security.
