25th anniversary of Pokhran-II

On May 11, 1998, codenamed Operation Shakti (literally, “strength”)/Pokhran-II, India conducted three nuclear bomb test explosions at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range.

Pokhran-I/Operation Smiling Buddha:

By the 1970s, Vikram Sarabhai (Bhaba’s successor at the DAE) had worked to significantly broaden India’s nuclear technology.
The Indira Gandhi government showed political will and on May 18, 1974, India carried out its first nuclear test at the Pokhran test site.

In 1998, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government showed political will and successfully conducted Operation Shakti.
Unlike the 1974 test, the Indian Government declared itself as a state possessing nuclear weapons following Pokhran-II.
The test helped India enter the highly guarded club of countries with the capability to deploy nuclear weapons, helping it to cement its status as a dominant nation-state.

The sole purpose of India’s nuclear deterrence is to deter adversaries’ use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.
The policy changed India’s image and the US (once an adversary of India’s nuclear programme) signed a civil nuclear deal with India in 2008, acknowledging India as a responsible nuclear player.
Simultaneously, India can leverage the economic, political and cultural appeal to showcase the advantages of its philosophy of nuclear deterrence.