This workshop is designed to provide understanding of the motivations and historical context as to why a state – in this case, Pakistan – chooses to develop nuclear weapons in response to an acute sense of insecurity.

In Pakistan, a staunch belief in the invincibility of its nuclear weapons, as the ultimate guarantor of national survivability, is central to its national security policy. Pakistan’s steadfast attachment to nuclear weapons is a product of its decades-old struggle to improve its precarious security predicament vis-à-vis India; a stronger and increasingly assertive neighbor. Over three decades since the original decision was made by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to initiate the bomb program, Pakistan has struggled through an extraordinarily difficult set of regional and international security problems in which its nuclear weapons posture was minimally commensurate to the array of threats.

The security landscape around Pakistan is changing fast, and the transformative shifts in the international and regional environments have created new defense predicaments and imperatives for Pakistan to consider as it modernizes its nuclear strategy and force posture.

The workshop explains the events that led to Pakistan’s decision to go nuclear, and the driving factors that affect its present and future policies. It will also help develop understanding how and why international efforts and non-proliferation regime were unable to stop Pakistan from acquiring the nuclear capability and how it transited into becoming an advance nuclear power. Finally, it will cover the role of nuclear weapons in Pakistan’s security policy, its impact on regional security dynamics and the Pakistan’s nuclear future.

This workshop is developed from the instructor’s military, diplomatic, and scholarly experience – that includes contribution to Pakistan’s nuclear policy, strategic planning, and active participation in international negotiations on arms control and disarmament issues. The workshop will mainly derive from the experience of last two decades in which he was intimately involved in nuclear policies and subsequent life as scholar; specifically, drawing from his forthcoming book expected early next year.

This workshop is premised under the assumption that the student maintains a baseline understanding of nuclear technologies, non-proliferation regimes, and norms and basic knowledge of history of South Asia.