Abstract
This paper seeks to analyze that why some nations to nuclear in the international structure for the
sake of national security when nuclear is an expensive and hard option? Due to fragile geopolitical position of Pakistan,security concerns have always forced her to find balance of power
in the south Asian region through different ways. Having fought three major wars with India in
1948, 1965 and 1971 in an asymmetric military environment, Pakistan had been in
disadvantageous position. War of 1971 in which Pakistan lost its Eastern wing (now Bangladesh,
as an independent state) and nuclear explosion by India in 1974 forced Pakistan to follow the
nuclear path. This paper analyzes the results of nuclear policy in the form of economic sanctions
imposed by US and its allies, and reversal of US policy after 9/11 regarding sanctions against
Pakistan. In the wake of 9/11 incident for joining the US led Global War on Terror, General
Musharraf had announced that his objective was to save the nuclear and missile assets of
Pakistan. This paper analyses that how Pakistani governments of General Musharraf, and Zardari
from 2001 to 2013, had been under immense pressure through different coercive tactics ( from
Dr. A. Q khan’s network to safety of nuclear program) to ruin the Pakistani nuclear program
which had proved to prevent wars between India and Pakistan since 1999 to 2013. What costs
Pakistan had to pay and what benefits Pakistan gained due to nuclear program
Muhammad Ilyas Ansari, Iram Khalid . (2016) An Appraisal of Pakistan’s Nuclear Policy during War on Terror, South Asian Studies, Volume 31, Issue 1.
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