7. India
India has 135 warheads. Like its neighbor and rival Pakistan, India is not a part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and adopted its “no first use” policy in 1998. It had its first test in 1974 in what it termed as a ‘peaceful’ nuclear explosion.
India created this test after the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT) which raised questions on the safety of civilian weapons which could easily be converted into military weapons.
The secrecy surrounding India’s development raised concern and agitation from other nations. India then officially rejected the NPT in the 1960s citing that it created a nuclear world of “haves” and “have nots” and restricted peaceful activity. Although claiming that its nuclear capability was mainly peaceful, India weaponized two dozen nuclear weapons in 1988 and 1990.
The United States and India concluded the Indian-United States Civil Nuclear Agreement in 2008. This was following a series of talks and negotiations that included India’s plan to separate its civil and military nuclear programs.
Both the United States and India are bound by the Hyde Act which will mean that the U.S. will cease relations with India if they detonate a nuclear explosive device.
