Former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra has rejected top nuclear scientist K Santhanam's remarks that India's Pokhran II nuclear test in 1998 was a fizzle.
According to media reports, Mishra said that Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who was the scientific advisor to the Defence Minister in 1998, himself confirmed the nuclear test's success and gave a green signal for the Indo-US nuclear deal. Santhanam was then working directly under Kalam.
Earlier, Santhanam had told a TV channel that the yield of the Indian thermonuclear explosions were much below expectations and the tests were more a fizzle than a bang.
This is the first time a senior scientist, who was a part of the core testing team, has spoken on the inadequacy of the 1998 thermonuclear device test, security expert Bharat Karnad said in a media report.
India conducted 5 nuclear tests at the Pokhran test range, three of which were conducted on May 11 and two on May 13, 1998. The team which conducted tests was headed by Rajagopala Chidambaram and the Device was developed at the Defence Research and Development Organisation or DRDO's Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory.