• No reaction from Foreign Office, but experts disagree with the claim
• US clarifies it doesn’t intend to restart full-scale live weapons testing

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has claimed that Pakistan is among a handful of countries “testing nuclear weapons”, a statement that comes days after Islamabad emphasised the safety, security, and peaceful use of its nuclear programme at the United Nations.

The remarks by the US president have prompted scrutiny from experts, lawmakers, and international observers, who say there is no evidence to support claims of renewed nuclear testing by Pakistan.

Speaking on CBS’ 60 Minutes over the weekend, Trump said: “North Korea has been testing. Pakistan has been testing. […] But they don’t go and tell you about it.”

“Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it. You know, we’re an open society. We’re different. We talk about it. We have to talk about it.”

There was no official reaction from Pakistan’s Foreign Office.

President Trump, who recently directed the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing, said he did not want the United States to be “the only country that does not do so”.

On his Truth Social platform, he wrote: “Because of other countries’ testing programmes, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis.”

Trump further claimed that while the US has “more nuclear weapons than any other country”, China could catch up “within five years”. But experts say the claim lacks supporting data, given the current gap between the US and Chinese arsenals.

At a UN General Assembly debate earlier this week, Pakistan underscored its “vast experience in operating a safe, secure, and fully safeguarded nuclear power programme”.

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report confirmed that nuclear materials in India and Pakistan remained in peaceful use.

The agency also clarified that there was no radiation leak from any Pakistani nuclear facility following Indian air strikes during the May conflict, alleviating concerns over potential nuclear escalation.

Pakistan recently signed with IAEA a Country Programme Framework for 2026 to 2031 (CPF), which outlines cooperation in nuclear medicine, water management, sustainable energy, and capacity building.

US clarification

But on Monday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright sought to allay global concerns, clarifying that Washington is not planning actual detonations.

“These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call non-critical explosions,” he said on Fox News.

“I think the tests we’re talking about right now are system tests. These are not nuclear explosions.”

Wright explained that only components would be tested, with advanced simulations providing precise predictions of nuclear detonation effects.

“With our science and computation power, we can simulate incredibly accurately exactly what will happen in a nuclear explosion,” Wright added.

“Now we simulate the conditions that delivered that and, as we change bomb designs, what they will deliver.”

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2025