2. India's failed thermonuclear weapon - International and Domestic reactions

After the conduction of Pokhran II nuclear device test on 11 and 13 May 1998 soon a press conference was invited at the prime minister’s residence. The long term silence on this issue broke out as the government admitted the conduction of tests. Vajpayee appeared before the press corps and made the following short statement:
“Today, at 1545 hours, India conducted three underground nuclear tests in the Pokhran range. The tests conducted today were with a fission device, a low yield device and a thermonuclear device. The measured yields are in line with expected values. Measurements have also confirmed that there was no release of radioactivity into the atmosphere. These were contained explosions like the experiment conducted in May 1974. I warmly congratulate the scientists and engineers who have carried out these successful tests.”
This news certainly brought cheers, not because India was going nuclear that meant superiority over others, but because of the research and development involved in this project as India had to do all this indigenously to keep the project secret. Most important of this was all doubts were removed on India’s nuclear capability after the first nuclear test in 1974. Bombay Stock Exchange, Sensex also registered significant gains.
International reaction was almost opposite of the reactions received from within the countries. The United States took a strong stand, condemned India and warned about the following sanctions. The American establishment was embarrassed as there had been a serious intelligence failure in detecting the preparations for the test. UN also expressed its disappointment that it would trigger a nuclear arm race in the region. Canada was into a problem and reassured the world that the CIRUS reactor was not in anyway connected to the 1998 tests as earlier CIRUS reactor provided plutonium to India in 1974 test. China also strongly condemned Indian actions and was worried about its security thus it called upon to make India sign Nuclear Proliferation Treaty and erase all Indian nuclear arsenals. This gave rise to a new strategic dimension in Asia, particularly South Asia.
The storm of reactions also raised in Pakistan, India’s main rival. Pakistan blamed India for instigating a nuclear arms race in the region and challenged that it will give a tough reply to India. Soon after fifteen days Pakistan also tested its nuclear device with the help of China involving reverse engineering of the Chinese bomb. Pakistan also got strong reactions from Argentina to Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, France, Germany and West Europe, etc though Pakistan got extreme appraisal by the gulf and other Islamic nations. The Pakistan nuclear bomb became hope for the nuclear bomb in Iran, Libya and North Korea. The US president Bill Clinton was quoted as saying "Two wrongs don't make a right", criticizing Pakistan's tests as reactionary to India's Pokhran-II
The decision by India and Pakistan to detonate a nuclear bomb resulted in severe and comprehensive economic and technology related sanctions by a number of states. Over a period of time, these sanctions proved to have exerted only marginal effects on India’s economy and technological progress, and most of the sanctions were lifted within five years of their enactment. Pakistan had to spend tough times and somehow made America to donate money to fund its falling economy. Pakistan till today gets monthly aid worth billions of dollars.