Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
| 1960: | 40 MWt CIRUS (Canadian-Indian Reactor United States) research reactor begins operation in India. The reactor was so named because it was bought from Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd. (AECL), and the heavy water was provided by the US. |
| 1962: | Border conflict arises between China and India. Other Indo-Chinese tensions, such as those over Tibet, predispose China toward providing Pakistan with military assistance. |
| 1963: | India signs contract with General Electric for two 210-MWe light water reactors at Tarapur. A 30-year contract is signed with the US to supply fuel for the plant. Fuel shipments suspended after the 1974 Indian test. |
| 1964: | China tests nuclear weapons; Homi Bhabha (head of Indian Department of Atomic Energy) says India can build a nuclear bomb in 18 months. Trombay reprocessing facility, nominal capacity 50 metric tons of spent fuel per year, opens at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in India. It was shut down in 1974 due to corrosion, reconstructed, and re-opened in 1983 or 1984. |
| 1965: | Second India-Pakistan war 5 MWt research reactor given by US is built at Pinstech in Nilore, Pakistan. Upgraded to 8-10 MWt with help from France. Pakistani Prime Minister Ali Bhutto declares that if India develops nuclear weapons, Pakistan will "eat grass or leaves, even go hungry" in order to develop a program of its own. |
| 1971: | Pakistan-Bangladesh-India war. West Pakistani repression leads to a crisis in the region, including a secessionist movement in East Pakistan, which later becomes Bangladesh. India intervenes on the side of Bangladesh. US orders the nuclear-armed aircraft carrier, Enterprise, to the Bay of Bengal. |
| 1972: | KANUPP heavy water reactor, purchased from Canada, begins operation in Pakistan. |
| 1974: | May 18: Indian government conducts a nuclear test at Pokhran, which they term a "peaceful nuclear explosion." Pakistan steps up its bomb program. |
| 1976: | Engineering Research Laboratories (ERL) is established in Pakistan to enrich uranium using gas centrifuge technology. |
| 1977-80: | Pakistani plant to produce uranium hexaflouride is constructed; parts provided by Germany. |
| 1979: | Pilot uranium enrichment facility starts up at Sihala, Pakistan; construction begins on full-scale facility at Kahuta. April: The US imposes sanctions on Pakistan after learning about its enrichment program. PREFERE reprocessing plant opens at Tarapur (near Bombay, India). It has a capacity of 100-150 tons/year. Iranian revolution. Hostage crisis begins at the US embassy in Tehran. December: Soviet troops occupy Afghanistan. |
| 1981: | US Congress grants Pakistan a 6-year exemption from the Symington Amendment, which prohibits aid to any non-nuclear country engaged in illegal procurement of equipment for a nuclear weapons program. Pakistan accepts a $3.2 billion, six-year aid package from the US that includes the sale of F-16 planes. |
| 1982: | Cold test of "New Labs" small-scale reprocessing plant in Pakistan. |
| 1984: | Jan-July: Dr. A. Q. Khan (known as the father of Pakistan's uranium enrichment program) announces that the Kahuta plant has succeeded in enriching uranium (although not to weapons-grade); other developments lead to increasing evidence of Pakistan's nuclear program. September: US President Ronald Reagan sends Pakistani President Gen. Mohammed Zia a letter threatening "grave consequences" if the Kahuta plant is used to enrich uranium to greater than 5% U-235. |
| 1985: | US Congress enacts the Pressler Amendment, which obligates the president to certify every year that Pakistan does not possess a nuclear weapon before disbursing aid. |
| 1985: | Summer: Pakistan successfully tests a non-nuclear triggering package for a nuclear weapon. December: Pakistani President Zia and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi meet in New Delhi. |
| 1986: | US sources report that Pakistan produces weapons-grade uranium (greater than 90% U-235). December (to January '87): India conducts military exercises on the India-Pakistan border, entitled "Operation Brass Tacks." |
| 1987: | US Congress again waives the Symington amendment for Pakistan, this time for a period of two-and-a-half years. |
| 1988: | February: India tests short-range "Prithvi" ballistic missile. Construction begins on 2nd uranium enrichment plant at Golra, Pakistan. December: India and Pakistan sign a written agreement not to attack each others' nuclear facilities. |
| 1989: | February: Pakistan announces successful test of two new surface-to-surface ballistic missiles: Hatf I and II (with 80- and 300-km ranges). May: India tests the "Agni" ballistic missile (~3500 km range). June: Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto visits Washington DC. Before her trip, production of highly-enriched uranium is stopped, a step that is verified by the US. It is believed that production was re-started after heightening tensions over Kashmir in 1990. Pakistan apparently stopped HEU production in 1991, though the six tests it conducted in 1998 cast some doubt on commonly held assumptions about the amount and schedule of HEU produced. July: Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi visits Islamabad. |
| 1990: | May: Kashmir situation deteriorates, tensions increase and war nearly breaks out between India and Pakistan. Unconfirmed reports, later believed to be untrue, indicate that Pakistan considered using nuclear weapons.1 June: Indian government leaks allegations that China has rejected Pakistan's request to use the Lop Nor nuclear weapons test site. |
| 1995: | The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is extended indefinitely. |
| 1996: | The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is signed. India and Pakistan do not sign. |
| 1998: | April 6: Pakistan tests the Ghauri long-range missile. May 11 and 13: India conducts 5 underground nuclear tests. Shortly after the tests, India announces a unilateral moratoriam on nuclear testing. May 19: Indian Home Minister L.K. Advani issues a warning to Pakistan in light of India's tests, stating, "Islamabad should realize the change in the geo-strategic situation in the region and the world [and] roll back its anti-India policy, especially with regard to Kashmir."2 May 28 and 30: Pakistan conducts underground nuclear tests. (According to the Pakistani government, six tests were conducted.) June 11: Pakistan announces a unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing. |
Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
Comments to :Outreach Coordinator: ieer@ieer.org
Takoma Park, Maryland, USA
October, 1998
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