Everything to Know About Pokhran Nuclear Test 1998

Source: NewsBytes 

Today India is considered a Nuclear Country in the World. There are only 9 countries that hold Nuclear weapons and they are the USA, Russia, Britain, France, India, Pakistan, China, Israel, and North Korea. India also has the capacity to launch nuclear weapons from different places like Air, Ground, and Water. The Indian Armed Forces have the assets to launch nuclear weapons. But the journey of India to become a nuclear state is not that easy. 

India has to face various sanctions from the US and even International Organisations like the United Nation criticise India at that time for conducting nuclear tests. India first conducted a Nuclear test in 1971 and this operation was called Operation Smiling Buddha but this test is not successful for India and the US imposes sanctions on India because the US does not want any country to become a nuclear state except its allies.

But in 1998 India conducted a successful nuclear test in Pokhran, Rajasthan, and from that time India became the 6th country to test successfully nuclear weapons. 

The US spying on India with its Satellites to stop the Nuclear Test

The biggest problem with India conducting nuclear tests is that the satellites of the CIA(Central Intelligence Agency) are spying over in the field of Pokhran. There are 2 to 4 satellites of the US that have deployed only to check the activities whether they conduct tests or not.

 So, then the Indian Scientists and Army made up a plan that when the first satellite is going far from Pokhran field and the second satellite enters, there is a time gap between these satellites which is called a blind spot. 

The Scientists had decided that they would work at night to dodge the American satellites. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam has played a key role in making the satellites dodge from the Pokhran field. Scientists also wear the Army Uniform so that satellites could not know them and whenever satellites show them CIA thinks that it is a normal military exercise. 

The test of Pokhran is also very confidential that only a few Cabinet Ministers, Prime Minister, and few top-level officials including the Army were known about it. The top-level MP, MLAs, and the IAS officers also don’t know about the Pokhran nuclear test and even the coalition government members also don’t know about this operation. The Pokhran nuclear test operation is called ‘Operation Shakti’. 

The Movie Parmanu is based on real incidents

The movie Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran is the best for the common public to know how our Scientists and Army personnel have done the hard work to make our country powerful and well equipped with nuclear weapons. 

There are some scenes in the movie if we watch this we think that it is fake and it doesn’t happen in the movie but major of the scenes are based on real incidents if we watch the movie Parmanu. Actor John Abraham has the lead role in the movie where he was a scientist and Boman Irani was also there where he played the role of Prime Minister's Principal Secretary.

Finally, Pokhran Nuclear Test was conducted successfully

On 11th May 1998, India has conducted successfully the Pokhran Nuclear Test, and when the Indian Media, the Public, and World know about this everyone becomes shocked especially American Agency that how India conducts the Nuclear test. 

After 2 days of the first nuclear test 4 more nuclear tests were conducted and finally, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared India a nuclear test. There was a joint press conference of Scientists who were involved in the nuclear test. Atal Bihari Vajpayee along with key scientists visited the Pokhran range and also met the Army officials who were helping scientists to conduct a successful nuclear test.

The US imposes sanctions on India after Pokhran nuclear test

After India conducts a successful nuclear test, the US has imposed many sanctions on India which will impact the Indian economy. The UN has criticized India for conducting a test in Pokhran. Then India would make an appeal to the United Nations that India will use nuclear weapons only when other countries attacked India with nuclear weapons. And then India uses nuclear weapons for peaceful purposes only.

Written By- Saurav Sharma