Should Pakistan have carried out nuclear tests? Your reaction

Pakistan is more prone to nuclear proliferation than the Original-5 and India. Pakistan is a self-proclaimed ISLAMIC country which supports the so-called Islamic cause around the world. It will be just a matter of time before nuclear technology is passed on to rogue states such as IRAN, IRAQ and LIBYA either for ideological reasons or monetary benefits.
Girish RamaKrishna, USA

I am a great admirer of Ms Albright. But this time I disagree with her not in intent but method. I agree India and Pakistan should cool it but so should Ms Albright. You are not dealing with banana republics or countries like Serbia or Bosnia. These are two of the oldest civilisations and it would certainly help to recognise their "seniority." After all, isn't it what India is seeking - recognition? Sanctions will hurt neither India and nor, perhaps, Pakistan, but the latter's government will not survive and will soon be replaced by the army boys. The first steps in that direction have already been taken - suspension of the constitution and declaration of state of emergency. So, cool it and be sure to use appropriate diplomatic language. Flattery will get you anywhere with these two countries. Bill Clinton (actually it's Hillary and Chelsea) is much more popular in India than in Pakistan.
J Thakrar, USA

Due to consequent economic hardships, Pakistan's linkages with its clandestine helpers will come out into the open - good for India!
Umesh Dutta, India

Why do the Pakistanis have this obsession about India? Is it because they have stolen a country away? Do they need a constant ferment to justify their ill-begotten country. Why should they have any claim over Kashmir? Religious affiliation cannot define nationality. I know it is hard for Pakistanis to understand this basic democratic principle. If we give in to the archaic notion of pan-Islamic nationality what would become of the 137 million muslims of India? Will they be declared aliens in their own motherland? You see, a Pakistani sees no incongruity in the assertion that a muslim cannot be part of a secular/non-muslim country. Hey guys! Grow up. It isn't 9th century AD, when the muslim marauders were running rampant and converting everybody by sword. Kashmir shall not go to Pakistan, ever, period. Now the Pakistanis can accept it and learn to live happily or go on a prolonged and losing campaign. Take your choice.
Vijay, USA

Pakistan has been the aggressor in three wars against India. Its democracy is fragile at best. Pakistan does not have the maturity or the global perspective to own nuclear weapons. In any case their technology is either borrowed or worse.
Rohit Pathak, Australia

Pakistan is inducing other countries to follow suit and is causing pain for itself with the economic sanctions. Anyway, if India was really to attack, so what if Pakistan has nuclear weapons? It's still inferior in every way.
Weixiong, S'pore

The west is hypocritical and naïve to decry the development of nuclear weapons by developing countries. The problem is, now that Pandora's box has been opened, it will only be through responsible action and education that we don't succeed in destroying ourselves. As someone recently said, America is, thus far, the only country to have used such a weapon in anger.
Daren Wilkin, Germany

By "joining the nuclear club", Pakistan has just created a whole bevy of new or expanded problems. First, India and Pakistan have for many years paraded around saying "We're going to start a war and thrash them", and now that nuclear weapons are involved, another temptation has arrived to ultranationalists in either country (eg the Indian majority coalition).
Secondly, as we have seen with several Soviet warheads/material, it is very easy for those with not-so-nice intentions to steal (and later possibly use) old nuclear weapons; Pakistan has done the equivalent of driving a shiny new car into a really bad neighborhood and left it unlocked with the keys in the ignition.
Finally, as a child of the Reagan era, the mere existence of nuclear weapons is an incentive to use them as a way to pressure other nations into submission (eg Reagan in talks with just about every nation imaginable used the "nuclear card" as a threat).
I recognise the irony in these statements, since my country is the only one to ever use a nuclear weapon in wartime. However, it is my supreme hope that only the United States will ever bear this horrid distinction.
Jim Redmond, USA

Pakistan has every right to shoot itself in the head...... But I do wish they would change the name of their country to "If India" for that's all they have been for the past 50 years; sign the NPT - we will "If India" does, sign the CTBT - we will "If India" does. The leadership in Pakistan has proved time and again that they are incapable of taking a stand of their own on anything. This is a one-issue country obsessed with India. Is it a truly independent nation? I doubt it.
Shailesh Saoji, USA

Pakistan had as much right to test its nuclear weapons as the US and other countries had at the end of World War II and the subsequent Cold War: none. They also had the same reason: paranoia. Violence and warfare are the last refuge of the xenophobic, and to date, nuclear weapons are the ultimate expression of this. This issue is not just about Pakistan and India; it is a bitter commentary on the entirety of human existence-like it or not, we all hold somewhere within us that same mixture of hate, fear, and self-loathing that leads to military build-up.
Steven Knox, USA

There is no doubt about the fact that nuclear weapons and nuclear advancement for the purpose of destruction is totally unacceptable. I am a pacifist and am totally against any sort of war, cold or hot or whatever. But consider the fact that we live in a very, very volatile region and to survive in such a place is tough.
If one of your neighbours starts bullying you around then first you try to ignore them because you don't want to start anything. But if they persistently keep on bullying you, then you have to show that you can defend yourself. That doesn't necessarily mean that you want to kill everybody just for the sake of fun.
Nobody likes war. No one wants to ruin their countries economically, socially or otherwise for the sake of spending million of dollars on killing each other. But no country can compromise on their sovereign independence and existence. Therefore, although a pacifist, I think that Pakistan's nuclear blasts will help stop us from future wars. But the world has to realise that there cannot be dual standards. Every country's nuclear programme has to be treated equally. If you want to obliterate nuclear arms then the world community should come together and eradicate them, on an equal basis, from the world.
Saqib Zulfiqar, Pakistan

Many people have failed to really realise what is actually happening in the Indian sub-continent. Those who are not even faintly aware of the happenings there seem to be making highly personal remarks. How can we say that a country has done something just because its neighbour has done it? Why don't we actually realise that the REAL super powers of the world were the ones who ignited this nuclear race?
What Pakistan has done is not really their fault but it's plain stupid! Being one of the poorest countries in the world, how could they spend so much on nuclear technology? How can they worry about nuclear-physics before actually realising that many people of the country are starving!
India, as the world knows, is a self sufficient country that has an economy that depends on domestic trade rather then international trade. It does not need international aid. Pakistan on the contrary needs the help of foreign countries for them to prosper. The rest of the world should also be told to look at their own backs before pointing a "dirty" crooked finger towards India and Pakistan.
Shamrat, Malaysia/India/Australia

It's a very immature reaction considering the economic and civic crisis Pakistan is in now. They could have shown more maturity by not carrying out the tests.
Nilanjan Majumdar, India

If the world's powers were committed to following the 'zero option' concerning nuclear weapons, there would be no need for anyone to possess them.
Stu Rayner, England

We would like to congratulate Pakistan for doing something they should have done a long time ago. What do you think of the US' and European double standards of applying sanctions to Pakistan and not even blinking their eye to Israeli nuclear capabilities.
Sikander A Memon, Egypt

Pakistan should not have conducted N-tests to ensure that there is no arms-race escalation between India and Pakistan.
Manoj Kumar Prasad, India

Pakistan should have learnt from the consequences of the Indian testing, but they did not ... they chose to be stupider than India. Though India and Pakistan should have concentrated on more important issues such as reducing poverty and building a strong economy, these tests also brought out the hypocrisy of the West's policies, especially those of the US. It is quite obvious that the US would not have raised such a hue and cry if China had done the same.
Ramesh Kaika, USA

It's very dangerous for a terrorist country like Pakistan to have such weapons. Even after warnings from top leaders they continue with this because they were not worried about sanctions as they knew that all Islamic countries would come to help. If any country knows that they don't have anything to lose then it's very dangerous for the whole world.
Krishna Mohan, India

I feel an announcement on Pakistan's part affirming its nuclear weapons capability would have sent a clear enough message to India's government without resorting to the "testing" of such devices.
York Hird, United States

India exploded five nuclear bombs on the 11 and 13 of May. Pakistan has exploded five nuclear bombs on May 26. How was it possible for Pakistan to explode five nuclear bombs in a span of just 13 days?
Nandini, India

The theory that exploding a device (nuclear) leads to an arms race does not hold water. Pakistan has every right to safeguard their security. In fact the 5 million guns and millions of landmines spread all over the world and supplied by China, the UK, Russia and the USA hold more threats to fragile peace. The G-8 should focus on practical issues instead of fomenting rivalry between Pakistan and India (which are only in the minds of few politicians on both sides).
Raghu Raman, Micronesia

I have some questions for some people who think it should not have happened 1.Can you feel the tension and apprehension when your neighbour with which you have fought three wars detonates nuclear bomb and starts threatening you? Go through the previous Indian press for details of the threats. 2.Would you like to be a rich dead man rather than a poor man who is alive? 3.Yes Pakistan will lose the Aid. What has this Aid done to make the lot of Pakistan better in the last 50 years? 4.How can you believe that a country much smaller to India could have started the previous wars? 5.Name any neighbouring country of India which has never had tense moments over its relations with India? 6.Who believes that the US had no idea what is going to happen? We poor souls can only see tips of the iceberg and pass our judgements. The game is much bigger and much complicated. You know what is the most interesting part. Everybody did the right thing
Syed Ahmed Naqi, Australia

Only an ignorant person can believe India's justification of going nuclear because it faced threat from China. It is Pakistan with which India has fought three wars and still the tensions are high because India does not want to resolve the issue of Kashmir, a source of conflict between the two countries. China had already taught India a lesson during a brief encounter and I am sure India will never try its hegemony over China for the rest of its life. It is the Pakistan which always become a target of India's aggression because it is smaller in size. Now India will never dare to challenge Pakistan because it knows that Pakistan has the capability to defend itself.
Shahid Latif, Canada

Yes and no. Does it matter now? - It's done. I suppose a level playing field is now established. Sit down and talk your differences out now, there cannot be a better opportunity than this.
Amber Naqvi, England

Pakistan made a grave error in understanding the political evironment in the world today. Pakistan did not test an indigenous device unlike India, however, Pakistan's devices were Chinese. Also, placing a "state of emergency" just shows how weak a country it is and not a democracy. Now the western powers will see the consequences of their past mistakes. "ISLAMIC BOMB" is something no one in the world can afford to have.
Dan Choksey, USA

The politicians and scientists of Pakistan have once again shown their stupidity. Before comparing themselves to India they should have looked at their economy, the conditions of their own people and like factors. India has been completely self defendent since its birth in 1947. As against this Pakistan has almost completely dependent on the West for almost everything; from food to weapons. If now, the common people in Pakistan get affected by the sanctions from the west they have none but their own politician to blame. Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his party have strengthened their positions in common Indians' mind forever by conducting the tests in view of continuous terrorism and the proxy war Pakistan declared against India. But Nawaz Shariff on the other hand came to power on the promise that he will improve the relations with India and will pay more attention and money to the betterment of the common Pakistani. He is definitely going to suffer when a common Pakistani will have to give up either his lunch or dinner after the sanctions from the west.
Vijay Moholkar, India

I think that India's major threat is not Pakistan at all. Moreover, Pakistan is the least of India's national interest problems, it's China that India is afraid of. China is India's biggest threat. None the less, it's in my severe opinion that a substantial cause for a nuclear trade-off between the two will be over Kashmir: they have already had three wars over the place, where 80% of the population is Muslim. It is a grave mistake, however, to construe a conflict founded on the basis of culture or religion. India has the biggest Muslim population in the world followed by Indonesia. The point being that those Muslims of India support their country's nuclear program just as much as any other Hindu or Shik of that Country. In contrary belief, I think that it is a political issue that has to be recognized by both nations, including a mutually symbiotic effort by the international arena as well. A prominent and chief example to this principle point is the adverse and contentious relationship of Pak. and Bangladesh displayed at the times of independence movements for both countries after World War 2. Both Bangladesh and Pakistan are acknowledged as being factional Muslim societies, however they still held a contentious relationship due to opposing political views. So it can be concluded that the climatic impetus, impulse or stimulus for a tertiary relationship amid to recalcitrant nations is fashioned on political motifs, and not in anyway found upon religious or cultural premises.
Seyed Ali Jahanmir, Iran

I see this as a win-win for Pakistan. India, and the inadequate World response, gave Pakistan the once in a generation opportunity to not only come of age and become a nuclear power, but also to use the ensuing executive powers to improve the state of the economy. The way we see it, we could have played it out in one of two ways once India had done what it did. We could have NOT tested and followed the 'high road'; in this case, we would have become a darling of the West but ONLY in words and also for about a two months or so. After that, the world would have forgotten about everything. While we in Pakistan would still have to live with an expansionist state being run by an unstable right wing government This would not have been in our interest. Additionally, we would not have had any significant help from the West either regarding our genuine security needs or our dire economic situations. What we would have gotten is a hollow pat on the back for being a good boy. The other option, the way we saw it, was to test the nuclear devices and take our enemy fully by the horns, so to say. In this case, we would have not only retaliated in kind to the Hindu threat, but we would have also protected our own long term national interests. The West, on the other hand, would have followed swiftly with sanctions. We could use the threat/application of sanctions to bring our internal house in order. We could use the emergency powers to clean up the tax system, the loan defaulters and, most of all, unite the nation in its fight against the Hindu/West threat to our security and our economy. From where we stood, after having had a stagflation/recession for the past 5/6 years with minimal actual help from the West, the outcome, in hindsight at least, should have seemed inevitable. I fully support the GoPakistan and believe that the West will soon forget all of this and get back to the next problem that emerges either in Indonesia or Russia. But we will live there and this has given us an opportunity to stand up and face the music, while at the same time, taking the responsibility of defending our nation by our own selves. No nation can ever depend on another for its security. This is a myth. May God help us through these trying times.
Ali Sheikh, Rome, Italy

I am a Hindu from India. I support the ruling allegedly "Hindu Nationalist" BJP. I say alleged because the fact is that the fourth highest ranking man in the BJP government is Sikander Bahkt, a Muslim. Pakistan was completely justified in it's tests I believe. I had expected that they would do precisely this. However, before any ignoramus criticizes India or the EU for escalating the South Asian arms race, let them ask why INDIA conducted nuclear tests!!!! Did India do it because she is afraid of Pakistan? A country which she has defeated in three out of three wars? No, India conducted these tests because she is bordered by the hostile, nuclear power, China. What would any other country do in this situation? One man wrote: "Imagine it is 1939, Germany has developed the A-bomb", and further went on to ask what should Britain do in such circumstances Precisely what India did in response to China. India and China went to war in 1962 over territorial disputes which are unsettled to this day. China has just recently installed a missile base in Tibet with Inter-regional ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads pointed at India. What else could India have been expected to do? Similarly, I do not blame Pakistan. Pakistan only responded as India did. The arms race in Asia was funded by Chinese-friendly U.S. politicians and provoked by Chinese imperialists. This is simply a domino effect. If tensions between Shia and Sunni Muslim sects escalate in Pakistan, then expect Iran to go nuclear. If Iran goes nuclear, expect Iraq to follow. And if Iraq follows, watch out for that little country called Kuwait. We are headed to doomsday and it is all because of Chinese imperialism. The ignorant can continue to blame India. They have always and will probably continue to ignore the provocative actions of China.
Neeraj Sharan, USA

Take this scenario: A neighbour six times your size, 8 times the population, 10 times the conventional defence forces. You are under an arms embargo for the last nine years, no spares, even the stuff you have paid for is not being delivered. The neighbour goes nuclear. Within six days of going nuclear starts an excursion into your territory - beaten back - threatens grave consequences and mentions about usage of nuclear option for self defense. The west upon sensing that you will be getting into an arms race, offers carrots including a nuclear umbrella. Keep in mind, a defence pact was made before, and during 1971 when one half of your country was dismembered, you called upon your defence ally, who promptly informed u that the defence pact was against any Russian invasion - result you lose half your country. Will you have any faith in this so called nuclear umbrella. The bifg bully is only rebuked, no sanctions, no harsh penalties. Please tell me your options. Whether the bomb is in the hand of mad men now or sane people, history will judge. But in 1945 a society at the peak of civilization used this bomb purely as an offensive weapon, the same party carried out saturation bombing in Laos, chemical bombs in Vietnam, and now is the standard bearer of human morality - Can we get out of this syndrome?
Mohammad Ali Shah, Pakistan

I really do not think Pakistan should have tested. I am against these tests not because I think we as a nation should not be safeguarded but because I think we have got our priorities wrong. Sanctions are not going to hurt the ruling elite. They are going to affect the common people, many of them are going to enter the 21st century uneducated, impoverished and not in the least enlightened. The government, instead of giving priority to national security, should have focused on the economy - the rather weak economy. Besides they should know when the realization of the consequences of these sanctions will dawn on the people the PM will have to do what many of his predecessors have been done - leave office and thus not being able to complete his full term.The BJP no doubt is an extremist Hindu party but I do not think it would have attacked Pakistan with its nuclear bombs even if Pakistan had not tested.
Sukaina Ali, Pakistan

The events of the Past were such that this had to happen.The Indian Nationalist Government left no other option to the Pakistani government.India should have never taken the decision of conducting these nuclear tests. Kashmir is one of the issues on which both nations have gone to war and can go to war again.One should look at the origins of the present situation.The impartial attitude of the Lord Louis Mountbatten in late 1940s is causing today's problems. If he had never given Kashmir to India then there would have been no nuclear or other forms of arms race between the two states. Pakistan gave many Hindu Majority Areas to India on the basis that the Muslims were a minority in those areas. On the other hand, Kashmir had a Muslim majority and the accession to India was decided by the then rulers of Kashmir not the people of Kashmir.I ndia should accept that it is not a secular state. Pakistan is an independent nation and it is exercising rights which the United States, France, China and Britain have exercised in the Past.
Whether Pakistan has a good or bad economy is not the issue. It should not be a headache for India or the international community that Pakistan has conducted these tests. Rrather it should be appreciated that Pakistan is moving away from the American or Western Bloc and is making independent reasonable choices. When Israel developed an alarming level of nuclear technology the West had nothing to say about the poor Israel. Everybody is afraid of Third World gaining more technology.The West should change their hypocrite approach. The double standards in the long term will bring the down fall of the West. The so called world order is an American invention and for the 21st Century it is an outdated mode of keeping peace or should one say keeping the American dominance over the qorld.The American leadership should accept that there will be a time when they will be opposed in such a manner as the Vietnamese army did in the 70s.
Isfandyar Ali Khan, Pakistani National-Student In Britain

We felt threatened by India as no other country was willing to really hurt India economically and they were about to attack Kashmir.
Omar Qadri, Pakistan

The Pak economy cannot afford sanctions by the international community but India with its 5000 years inherent strength can withstand any amount of sanctions. Just after testing 5 nuclear devices, the PM of Pakistan has asked his countrymen to give up one meal. Imagine, what would be the conditions if they were to fight a war. It is only for false prestige they have conducted nuke tests, and with imported know-how India has its own know-how and is not dependent on others.
Pruthviraj, India

I am very much against all this nuclear testing. But you have to look and judge the facts. India has started it all but first starting a confrontation with China, then detonating their nuclear devices and last but not least planning to attack Pakistan's side of Kashmir with full force. Keeping in view of all these factors, I think that Pakistan had the right to show her muscles.
Mirza Fateh Ud Din Ahmad, Pakistan

Law is for everyone, and it should equally be exercised on all the nations (countries) irrespective of religion, caste or creed. The decision thus should always be impartial, no mater what the consequences are. If Pakistan has detonated a nuclear device, than it has legitimate reasons behind its detonations. In a nutshell, Pakistan followed the universal principle of "An Eye for an Eye". India should realize the same, and avoid such gross and heinous blunders that create such imbalances in the sub-continent. The Indian government should show some sanity, if not for themselves, then at least for their poverty stricken nation and for their neighboring countries, who want nothing but the basic amenities for life. They want to live happily and amicably. Pakistan never opted for the path of joining the "Opulent Club" of Lethal Nuclear Device Manufacturing Country (LNDMC) but India's dire threat to Pakistan's regional security and integrity pitch-forked Pakistan to take this measure of self-protection.
Rafiq Hasan, Pakistan

Pakistan, rather than India is keen on starting an arms race. Before thinking of a tit for tat strategy , it must understand that Pakistan can never match India's power and intellectual capability.
Sameer Sule, Inida

India in her foolishness had provided Pakistan with a golden opportunity to project itself as a more responsible country. We had an undeclared nuclear deterrence in any case which was as good as a declared one. Having said that now that my country has chosen her option I could ensure the world that we are a nation that can do wonders when the world least expect from us.
Ahsen Naseem Waraich

I FULLY SUPPORT THE TESTING BY PAKISTAN . India should not have unfair advantage, India and Pakistan should have a place in the big wig's team monitoring and dictating the policies of the world . It is not the G8 or another group's right to possess the weapon's and technology and deny everybody else. Moreover both India and Pakistan have achieved this by great effort and the bigwigs should welcome them to their fold and give both the perks and privileges they only want to enjoy .I am an Indian but I support Pakistan in this effort to equalize the goals. Now it is up to the authorities in both nations to play it safe and their responsibility is great.No place for political bickerings. Wake up India and Pakistan.
Manohar, USA

I am Chinese, I say no. It is a very dangerous action which causes tension in all of the world. However, it is unstandable that the Pakistan government has no choice under very high pressure from the people in Pakistan. The world must be crazy. If I were Pakistani, I would say yes. This is right action to the stupid nuclear test in India. India has to take all the consequences of her crazy, irresponsible action.
l. Shi, China

Pakistan is totally responsible for the present situation. It has clandestinely acquired nuclear technology from China breaking all international laws. Pakistan was ready to test these devices even before India conducted the tests. I think the international community should be aware of the threat of the Islamic bomb. Pakistan which is a lawless and a terrorist nation has become too dangerous with its new status.
Prakash Joseph, U.S.A

Pakistan, was left with no other choice but to take this road. India with two-third of population living below the poverty line, should not have started this deadly game. Indian's can put all this resources in economic development. This is a never ending race, and very expensive for both India and Pakistan.
Aamir Iqbal Shaikh, UK

I believe that it is good that Pak conducted the nuclear tests, bringing out into the open their secret plans to arm their military with nuclear weapons and also their clandestine dealings with communist countries like China and North Korea. The nuclear tests should be an eye opener to the US and to other western countries that their stance towards China and Pakistan should change and they should no longer continue with an ostrich like attitude. It is hypocrisy when the US considers a country like Pakistan, where their present presidents hang previous presidents, where Christian and other minorities are not given any religious or cultural freedom, where women still live behind a purdah (viel). It is time the civilized world declare Pakistan a terrorist and rouge nation and condemn it. Pakistan has for years been the root cause of all the problems India has faced in Punjab and Kashmir. Pakistan has been aiding and arming the militants in both of these states. Kashmir - an integral part of India - has been illegally occupied by Pakistan. It is time the world took note of India's peaceful intentions and offered it her rightful place in international leadership.
Simon, United States

It is stupid for Pakistan to have conducted tests as India would simply not have bombed Pakistan with a nuclear device. For India knows that if it did then it would have to face the wrath of the world.
Pakistan should not have risked its feeble economy. It is most likely they will end up having to "eat grass" in a couple of months time, as its earlier prime minister said. And the current PM of Pakistan is only forcing it down every Pakistani's throat.
Chandra, Singapore

I think the test was just a formality, they've probably had the technology for quite a while; India also. However, given the animosity between the two countries, it's probably best for stability that they be equally matched. A more important question is whether economic sanctions are a good idea. Pakistan is poor and nationalistic, a dangerous combination. Economic turmoil could only make things worse, as it did during pre-WWII Germany. I don't think the West wants another Hitler.
John Evans, USA

Two poverty-ridden nations flexing their muscles to satisfy ancient blood lusts. As an Indian citizen I was appalled at India's actions and pretty much predicted Pakistan's response. Simply put it is BACKWARD. I do blame India for not having the capacity to transcend to a more critical level of thinking.
Jacob Joseph, US

Pakistan should not have done the nuclear tests. In trying to match India on every front except in the economy, literacy and democratic norm, Pakistan is destroying itself. Instead of rolling back its suicidal anti-India policy, Pakistan must opt for peaceful relations with India with which it shares so much in common. This will benefit both countries. Pakistan had attacked India in the past and was defeated, not because its soldiers were not brave but because it was foolishly fighting a larger army. Why such hate for India? Is it because of religion? When will Pakistan's leaders learn to tolerate India's way of life and not take their personal ego problems to war-like situations and inflict suffering on its innocent and nice people. If there were true democracy in Pakistan, we would be seeing a prosperous Pakistan joining hands with India in making the Indian subcontinent a rich and prosperous place.
Srinivas Durgavarjhula, USA

Being a Pakistani, I am happy with what my government has done. I was quite disappointed to see the dual standard of the EU and the US over Indian N-Tests. If tougher sanctions were imposed on India, Pakistan would never ever have tested its N-devices.
Ahmed Omair, Pakistan

I was shocked to learn that Pakistan has exploded five nuclear devices but I fully understand why it opted to go nuclear. After India conducted five nuclear tests successively, Pakistan showed great restraint. They expected the international community to take tough sanctions against India for its contempt for and defiance of the international community but they were deeply disappointed. The world refused to punish India for its bad behaviour. What's more, India is brazen enough to use its newly acquired nuclear power with which to threaten Pakistan in order to extract concessions from Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir. Now that India can go nuclear without being punished, Pakistan has no alternative but to conduct its own nuclear tests in self-defence.
The world should remember that India has fought and won several wars with Pakistan. I was perplexed when India, with nearly 9 billion people and one of the strongest armed forces in the world and the largest arsenal in the third world, claimed that it faces imminent danger from a country with only one billion people and much smaller and weaker armed forces.
Michael Zhou, PR China

Pakistan had no choice in the wake of the utter failure of the West to restrain India.
Aziz Meenai, Qatar

At last, the truth! The Pakistanis have been stockpiling nuclear material. And they probably have more stashed in their facilities. Now the world can appreciate India's concern. It is better to know what your adversary has than to be guessing all the time. Now that it is clear where each nation's capabilities stand, the two should sit down and talk about peace.
Rupesh Santoshi, USA

Pakistan must try to match India in democratic norms, tolerance for other religions and ways of life, economy and literacy instead of treading the path of self-destruction by attempting to reach military equality with India. Why should it fear India? Has India ever attacked Pakistan? Pakistan attacked India three times and lost. Not because its soldiers are not brave but because they were fighting a much larger army. When will Pakistan's leaders start worrying about their innocent people and give up their anti-India rhetoric.
Srinivas Durgavarjhula, US

Pakistan has replied to India's nuclear threat. This is a must for Pakistan's sovereignty and security and this is also the response to the Indian prime minister's comment against Pakistan.
Amir Agha, Canada

I find it deeply depressing that, as we approach the third millennium of civilisation, countries still seek to measure their virility by the scale of the havoc they are able to wreak. The sight of people dancing in the streets over the amount of death and destruction they can spread is one I simply cannot comprehend. As Bunyan wrote "Then I saw a way to Hell, even from the gates of heaven."
Peter Mills Livesey, Surrey, England

Of course being a Pakistani I am very happy and give thanks to God that he enabled us with His Blessings.
Faisal, Pakistan

I could not believe the news of the N-tests in Pakistan. Many Japanese felt a similar despair and desire to do just that at the time when mass death (more than four thousand) occurred in the Great Hanshin earthquake in recent years. We Japanese sincerely protest against N-tests in Asian nations because we remember the despair that the A-bomb explosion produced during WWII. Emepror Hirohito (the father of the present emperor) did not surrender even under the warning of the A-bomb explosion. Ordinary Japanese citizens did not even know of the existence of the warning. Emperor Hirohito ignored the warning himself so as not to surrender. Thus we Japanese have complicated feelings about the N-tests. If we criticise the A-bomb we should criticise the emperor. The Japanese right-wing would harm and assassinate the citizen who criticises. Thus many young Japanese keep silent due to the strong emotion experienced by those who did not die due to the A-bomb explosion produced by the ignorance of the emperor. I would appreciate if someone would tell us how to exit from this hell.
Dr Mitsuko Hamamura, Japan

I must congratulate Pakistan for their successful nuclear tests. The USA should condemn itself for starting the arms race by testing and possessing their nuclear bombs 50 years ago. The Americans were the bad guys who started it first. All nations were created equal and Pakistan, like the USA, has equal rights to own a bomb. The western media has an obligation and moral courage to condemn the USA and not act like the biased mouthpiece for the USA.
C Kwong, Malaysia

There is absolutely no justification whatsoever. There is no need for Pakistan to do anything just because India has already done so. If there is, will Pakistan now declare a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing just as India has done? In the past, whenever Pakistan and India went to war, it was Pakistan itself and not India, who was the aggressor. If it stops instigating trouble in Kashmir and other parts of India, Pakistan has absolutely nothing to fear from India. And is Pakistan foolish enough to think that the fear of nuclear war can ever act as a deterrent to India's rightful claim that Kashmir has always been and shall remain an integral part of India? Sorry Mr Nawaz Sharif, you are making a big mistake. The United States, China and the rest of the world may even go on to transfer their own stockpile to you...but that will not intimidate us Indians. We are one, despite our internal differences, and shall not hesitate to rally around Atal Behari Vajpayee. And Kashmir shall remain ours. Do you accept the challenge?
Chaitanya Nabar, India

I think Pakistan is fully justified. Was the world sleeping when India detonated its bombs? It is the irresponsibility of the world community that it could not punish India for its irresponsible behaviour. This is almost the same as the ignorance of the world community in the case of Bosnia.
Pakistan is a smaller country than India and it has the right to self-defence. There is nothing wrong for a country to defend itself.
Naveed Ahmad, Pakistan

The distance between New Delhi and Islamabad with today's technology is just 3 minutes. How can Pakistan afford to have a hostile neighbour like India with nuclear warheads pointing at Islamabad.
The world powers who are applying sanctions on Pakistan are not taking into account the geographical location of Pakistan. They should understand that Pakistan and India have fought three wars in the past and now Pakistan needed a nuclear deterrent for the safety of its national security.
I think that in the past, if Japan had a bomb as a deterrent, the United States would never have made a nuclear attack on Japan. But I sincerely hope that all the problems between India and Pakistan are solved by talks, not by bombs.
Fayyaz Bhombal, Pakistan

It might be the end of the world and the start of a possible 3rd World War.
Hassan Ahmad Mian, Pakistan

Pakistan has done the most stupid thing it can do to itself and has played into the hands of its enemies. Now the country is really on the verge of collapse. It has lost a golden opportunity to march ahead of India both diplomatically and economically. Now we can only cry over spilt milk.
Abbas Ali, Pakistan

There was no choice left, it was now or never. If Pakistan couldn't have done this they would have been isolated with no clear commitment from the so-called world leaders. The way that the explosions in India were dealt with was disappointing.
Amin Siraj, Pakistan

This is all India's doing. With the smoke of nuclear fire her image as a nation of peace fades. I now understand the Pakistanis better.
Kenneth Mack, US

I think the results of a nuclear attack that we have seen or heard about in Japan during World War II, should be enough to scare other people into not using nuclear weapons again for the sake of human welfare. So this message is not only for Pakistan, but for all nations in the whole world.
Aloysius Laksono, Indonesia

Pakistan was warned beforehand of the consequences. I'm afraid that I cannot accept Nawaz Sharif's "They started it!" attitude. Although India did go ahead with their own (nuclear tests) the fact that Pakistan decided to go ahead was extremely foolish, and will now cause Pakistan to suffer sanctions, at a time when they will be at their most crippling level.
Ahmad Yazdani, Pakistan

Pakistan has done what needed to be done. Pakistan has proved that it too can answer a nuclear threat. India now has to think twice before starting a nuclear race in the region. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE PAKISTAN!
Khurram Khan, Pakistan