India on Friday issued a firm response to recent comments by United States President Donald Trump regarding Pakistan’s alleged nuclear testing activities, asserting that Pakistan has a well-documented and decades-long record of clandestine, illegal, and proliferation-linked nuclear behaviour. The remarks came during the external affairs ministry’s weekly media briefing, where spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about Trump’s claim that Pakistan was among a group of countries secretly conducting nuclear tests. India used the opportunity to reiterate its longstanding concerns about Pakistan’s nuclear track record, which New Delhi has frequently highlighted on global platforms.

Trump, speaking in an interview aired over the weekend by CBS News, suggested that China, Russia, Pakistan, North Korea and South Korea were conducting nuclear tests, in contrast to the United States, which has not carried out a nuclear detonation since 1992. The comments came in the context of Trump’s stated desire to resume US nuclear testing, which he argued was necessary because other major powers were allegedly already doing so. The statement created ripples across world capitals, prompting denials from several governments, including Islamabad, Beijing and Moscow.

At the press briefing in New Delhi, Jaiswal said that India was not surprised by Trump’s assertion in the case of Pakistan, given Islamabad’s history. According to him, Pakistan’s nuclear programme has been characterised by illicit procurement networks, covert partnerships, export control violations, and activities that undermined global non-proliferation norms. “Clandestine and illegal nuclear activities are in keeping with Pakistan’s history, that is centred around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, the AQ Khan network and further proliferation,” he said.

Jaiswal noted that India has for years warned the international community about the dangers posed by Pakistan’s nuclear behaviour. This was especially true in the 1990s, when evidence emerged about illicit procurement networks operating under Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan. Khan, often described as the “father” of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, ran a sophisticated supply chain that secretly transferred nuclear materials, centrifuge designs, and missile-related know-how to several countries, including North Korea, Iran, and Libya. In 2004, he publicly confessed to operating the network, though he later retracted the confession. Khan was placed under various forms of house arrest by Pakistani authorities for years until his death in 2021, but Pakistan consistently refused international access to him.

Jaiswal emphasised that India’s concerns were rooted in documented history and not speculation. He said New Delhi had repeatedly informed global partners and multilateral bodies about the risks posed by Pakistan’s proliferation activities. “India has always drawn the attention of the international community to these aspects of Pakistan’s record,” he said. “In this backdrop, we have taken note of President Trump’s comment about Pakistan’s nuclear testing.”

Trump’s remarks triggered sharp denials from the countries he named. China, Russia, and Pakistan all insisted that they were abiding by their respective moratoriums on nuclear testing. Islamabad dismissed the claim as baseless, while Beijing accused the former US president of making unsubstantiated allegations. Moscow reiterated that it had not conducted any nuclear tests, though Russian President Vladimir Putin recently ordered his government to examine the legal and technical steps required to resume nuclear testing if Washington breaks its moratorium.

Trump’s interview came in the middle of a broader conversation about his administration’s stance on nuclear weapons and arms control. In the interview, he accused Russia and China of secretly conducting nuclear tests and said the United States needed to resume its own to keep pace. “We’re gonna test, because they test and others test,” he said, adding that North Korea and Pakistan were also testing weapons. His remarks prompted renewed scrutiny of the global nuclear test ban regime, particularly the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which has not yet entered into force due to the non-ratification of key states, including the United States and China.

Jaiswal was also asked about reports that a Pakistani minister had visited an institution allegedly linked to the terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba. The group, responsible for several major terror attacks in India, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, is designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations. Without naming the minister or the specific event, Jaiswal offered a pointed response: “We all know which country is the factory of terrorism, which country is the global epicentre of terrorism. I need not elaborate more for you to get an answer to your question.” His remark echoed India’s longstanding position that Pakistan provides sanctuary, political support, and operational freedom to terrorist groups targeting India and the region.

The external affairs ministry’s comments reflect a broader geopolitical moment where nuclear competition and security concerns appear to be intensifying. Analysts have noted that the nuclear order established after the Cold War is now under strain, with arms control agreements weakening and major powers modernising their arsenals. Trump’s publicly stated desire to resume nuclear tests signals a possible departure from decades of US policy based on restraint and verification-based agreements, though it remains unclear whether such a shift would garner domestic or international support.

For India, the renewed global debate on nuclear testing and proliferation provides an opportunity to highlight its long-held concerns about the dangers posed by Pakistan’s nuclear activities. New Delhi has consistently maintained that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme has been built in violation of international norms and supported by covert networks that pose risks far beyond South Asia. India also remains concerned about the potential transfer of nuclear or missile technology from Pakistan to non-state actors or other states with adversarial intentions.

The re-emergence of AQ Khan in global discussions, following Trump’s remarks, revives memories of the sprawling proliferation network uncovered nearly two decades ago. Khan’s activities not only embarrassed Pakistan internationally but also exposed gaps in the global non-proliferation regime. While Pakistan has insisted that Khan acted independently, international investigators have long questioned this claim, arguing that such a sophisticated operation could not have existed without state involvement or at least state awareness. Khan’s legacy continues to cast a shadow over Pakistan’s nuclear credibility, and his network remains a cautionary example of the vulnerabilities in nuclear export controls.

India’s response to the reports of nuclear testing is therefore rooted not only in Trump’s comments but also in its broader strategic perspective on regional security. As a declared nuclear-armed state with a no-first-use doctrine, India views stability and transparency as essential to maintaining deterrence in South Asia. Any suggestion of covert testing or expansion of Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities is treated as a matter of serious concern. By reaffirming its warnings about Pakistan’s nuclear activities, New Delhi has signalled that it intends to maintain pressure on the international community to remain vigilant about proliferation risks.

With the global nuclear landscape becoming increasingly unpredictable, India’s statements suggest that it intends to continue advocating for responsible state behaviour and for accountability in cases of past violations. The comments at the briefing signal a clear message: India’s concerns about Pakistan’s nuclear activities remain as relevant today as they were in the 1990s, and New Delhi will continue to highlight them whenever global developments bring the issue back into focus.