ABSTRACT
Indian policy on nuclear proliferation seems a paradox. India has opposed nuclear weapons in principle and advocated both nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Yet India staunchly refused to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and even dealt a serious blow to the objectives of the Treaty by detonating a nuclear explosive device in May 1974. Indian scientific and diplomatic representatives were at the forefront of post-war negotiations on nuclear disarmament, peaceful nuclear co-operation and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. India’s official case against the NPT as expressed in 1968 was largely consistent with the positions advanced in 1965 by Chakravarty and Trivedi. The public nuclear debate in India between 1964 and 1968 focused primarily on the issue of nuclear weapons. The most significant arguments for a continued no-nuclear weapon policy came from official civilian and military quarters and emphasized a linkage between the cost of a dedicated weapon programme and overall Indian security.
