Rajnath Singh pays homage to Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Pokhran. Photo: @rajnathsingh Twitter
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 16
In a major development, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that India’s commitment to 'No First Use' (NFU) policy for nuclear weapons is for “now” but “what happens in future depends on the circumstances”.
Singh was at Pokhran—the site of two of India’s nuclear tests—where he paid homage to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the latter’s first death anniversary.
The last nuclear test conducted by India was in May 1998, when Vajpayee was PM.
In a tweet Rajnath Singh said: “Pokhran is the area which witnessed Atal Ji’s firm resolve to make India a nuclear power and yet remain firmly committed to the doctrine of ‘No First Use’. India has strictly adhered to this doctrine. What happens in future depends on the circumstances.”
Pokhran is the area which witnessed Atal Ji’s firm resolve to make India a nuclear power and yet remain firmly committed to the doctrine of ‘No First Use’. India has strictly adhered to this doctrine. What happens in future depends on the circumstances.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 16, 2019
The statement could be taken as an indication that NFU is under review.
In the past, former defence minister Manohar Parrikar had suggested there should be ambiguity about nuclear policy to avoid “revealing our cards”. At the time, the government had clarified that the remark was made in a personal capacity.
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