The Pokhran nuclear explosions by India on 11 and 13 May 1998 plunged Pakistan into a "damned if you will, damned if you don't" crisis. The gloating rhetoric and venom flowing out of the BJP leadership than governing India was startling, if not altogether shocking. Clearly intent on rubbing our noses in the dirt, their rhetoric pushed us into a corner. As a knee-jerk reaction an immediate tit-for-tat nuclear blast was a non-starter, however the morale of both the military and civilians across the board nose-dived within days to an all-time low. It was Hobson 's Choice, unless we reacted we would not have any credible deterrent, if we did international approbation (and sanctions thereof) would swiftly follow.
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