Barely a year after India and Pakistan officially went nuclear with the Pokharan-2 tests in May 1998, India was posed with the unenviable challenge of possible use of nuclear weapons in case of an unintended escalation during the Kargil War. In fact, New Delhi was to release even its first draft nuclear doctrine in August 1999 after the end of Kargil War. But Indian officials, scientists and military officials dealing with nuclear forces accepted the challenge to be prepared for any eventuality during the Kargil conflict, should the need arise. It meant having an authentic nuclear weapon, reliable delivery capacity and a foolproof process to actualise any decision taken by the political leadership. Read | 20 years after Kargil: Newsroom to Govt, reporter to father, how Kargil tipoff travelled“It was a rather primitive way of delivering the nuclear weapon,” the second official said.

Source: Indian Express July 20, 2019 21:11 UTC