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Government not bothered by Pakistan's tests

The government today asserted that it was not bothered by Pakistan's announcement that it would soon conduct a nuclear explosion.

''As of now we understand that Pakistan has not conducted any nuclear explosion, and if it conducts one it will not be a secret,'' Pramod Mahajan, political advisor to the prime minister, told the media in New Delhi.

He maintained that nuclear tests were carried out by New Delhi keeping in view the total national security perception and not ''as a reaction to the Ghauri missile developed by Islamabad".

''Ghauri may be one reason but not all the reasons for the underground nuclear explosions'' conducted by India on May 11 and 13, Mahajan said.

He maintained that India would not sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty unless its status and draft were acceptable to it. As of now the country was not bothered about sanctions, if any, imposed by any country, including the United States. ''Let it come first,'' he said, and added India had the inherent strength to withstand sanctions.

In reply to a question, he said even those countries which were talking of imposing economic sanctions on India had not calculated the harm they would themselves undergo because of the measure. ''Everything is totally speculative. The finance ministry was reviewing it,'' he added.

UNI

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