Youm-e-Takbeer is commemorated each year on May 28, marking Pakistan’s response to India’s nuclear weapon tests in both 1974 and 1998. It was absolutely significant to acquire and test such a capability to deter India from waging both a limited war, which India has long aspired to, and a large-scale war in South Asia. Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence remains India-specific. Pakistan adopted Credible Minimum Deterrence, while Full-Spectrum Deterrence falls within the ambit of Credible Minimum Deterrence, with the essence of deterring India at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels.

In other words, it is intended to deter India across the spectrum, providing India with no opportunity to wage any type of limited or large-scale war. Pakistan’s Full-Spectrum Deterrence has left India’s growing conventional force capability in a state of strategic frustration. The deterrent imperative of Full-Spectrum Deterrence is to offset both India’s growing conventional and nuclear capabilities. Under such policy guidelines, Pakistan continues to produce effective countermeasures to retain a strategic balance in South Asia. Unlike India, Pakistan does not have ambitions for power projection, parity, or escalation dominance.

Pakistan’s nuclear weapons deter India each day. When it comes to the psychology of deterrence, the essence and value of Pakistan’s nuclear deterrence have been working in the background of every crisis in South Asia. Many, including the recent Carnegie papers on South Asian........

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