Pakistan Rejects Trump’s Claims of Covert Nuclear Tests and Reaffirms Moratorium

Post by : Raina Nasser

Pakistan has rejected assertions by US President Donald Trump that it has been conducting covert nuclear tests, saying Islamabad "was not the first to carry out nuclear tests and will not be the first to resume them."

A senior Pakistani security official told reporters that the country continues to honour a "unilateral moratorium" on explosive nuclear testing and pursues a policy of measured restraint. The official noted Pakistan is not a signatory to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) but stressed there are no plans to restart testing.

In an interview, Trump claimed several states — including Russia, China, North Korea and Pakistan — were carrying out clandestine tests while the United States has refrained for more than 30 years. He argued the US should consider testing again, saying some rivals "test underground, and nobody knows what is happening."

Pakistan last conducted nuclear explosions in 1998 and has maintained its moratorium since. The Foreign Ministry reiterated Islamabad's support for the CTBT's goals and restated that Pakistan will not be the first to break the testing pause in South Asia.

China also pushed back against Mr Trump’s remarks, denying any secret explosive tests and reaffirming a "self-defensive nuclear strategy." Chinese officials called for respect for global non-proliferation norms and urged Washington to honour international frameworks.

To date, North Korea remains the only country to have carried out nuclear detonations since the 1990s. Both Russia and China have denied conducting clandestine explosive tests, and US military assessments have found no evidence indicating recent nuclear detonations by those states.

Mr Trump’s calls to resume US nuclear testing — framed as a bid to preserve strategic parity — have raised concerns about stability and arms dynamics in the region. Pakistan’s swift denial and insistence on restraint underline its intent to avoid escalation in South Asia.