US President Donald Trump has claimed that Pakistan is among the countries secretly testing nuclear weapons, saying he does not want the United States to be the only nation that does not conduct such tests.
Speaking during an interview on the CBS News programme 60 Minutes, Trump said, “North Korea has been testing. Pakistan has been testing. But they don’t go and tell you about it.” He also named Russia and China as countries he believes are carrying out nuclear tests.
His comments came days after he instructed the US Department of War through a social media post to “immediately” resume nuclear weapons testing. The order has caused confusion in Washington, as it remains unclear whether Trump is calling for the country’s first nuclear explosion since 1992 or referring to simulated tests.
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When asked about the directive, Trump said the United States should not be left behind while other countries continue testing. “We are the only country that doesn’t test. I don’t want to be the only country that doesn’t test,” he said. “You have to see how they work. That’s why testing is important.”
Trump’s claim that Pakistan is testing nuclear weapons has not been confirmed by any international monitoring agency. Pakistan has not conducted an announced nuclear test since 1998, when it carried out six underground explosions in response to India’s nuclear tests earlier that year.
During the interview, Trump said that while Russia and China claim not to test nuclear weapons, he believes they are doing so in secret. “You just don’t know about it,” he said. “They test way underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening.”
When the interviewer pointed out that Russia’s most recent activities involved testing missile systems, not nuclear explosions, Trump insisted that both Russia and China were conducting tests that were not publicly known.
He went on to say that the United States has the most powerful nuclear arsenal in the world and that he had “renovated and rebuilt” it during his presidency. However, he said testing was still necessary to ensure that the weapons worked properly.
China’s foreign ministry dismissed Trump’s claims on Monday, saying that China has always upheld a policy of restraint and remains committed to suspending nuclear testing.
The spokesperson urged the United States to protect the global disarmament system and maintain strategic stability.Pakistan’s Foreign Office has not yet issued a response to Trump’s statement.
