The recent claims by Donald Trump that Pakistan has been secretly conducting nuclear tests have pulled back the curtain on Islamabad’s stealthy nuclear journey and its persistent double game in weapons development. Pakistan promptly denied the accusation, stating, “Pakistan was not the first to carry out nuclear tests and will not be the first to resume nuclear tests.”

Yet the history of its atomic weapons programme tells a far more troubling story of reckless proliferation, institutionalised secrecy and disregard for global non-proliferation norms.

The origins of Pakistan’s bomb

Pakistan’s race to build a nuclear weapon was set into motion in the aftermath of India’s 1974 test. Under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the programme known as “Project-706” was lau

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