Security | The nuke shield
Pokhran-II announced India as a nuclear weapons state. It did bring in some recriminations and sanctions, but India shrugged it off. It was now a bona fide member of the nuclear club
OPERATION SHAKTI: PM Vajpayee, defence minister George Fernandes, A.P.J. Kalam and other ministers and officials at the Pokhran blast site, May 1998 (Photo: Pramod Pushkarna)
ISSUE DATE: Jan 12, 2026 | UPDATED: Jan 5, 2026 16:07 IST
The blasts were loud, the aftermath sent a few more reverberations. In May 1998, India conducted its second series of nuclear tests at the Pokhran test range in the Rajasthan desert. Pokhran-II detonated five devices deep underground at a designated site, setting off a chain of strategic and diplomatic consequences for the country.