‘Pakistan, India struck nuclear deal in 1988 under American pressure’: BJP’s Nishikant Dubey

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Wednesday launched a fresh attack on Congress, claiming that New Delhi, during former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure, made a nuclear deal with Islamabad in 1988 under America’s pressure.

In a post on X, Dubey shared a purportedly declassified letter, which, according to him, was sent by then-US President Ronald Reagan to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Dubey also claimed that New Delhi spoke to Former Pakistan President General Zia under US “pressure”.

He further stated that the agenda of the meeting was also set by the US President Reagan. “Why is Congress angry? When I saw this paper, I felt ashamed. US President Ronald Reagan sent this letter/telegram to the then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Under American pressure, we spoke to Pakistani President General Zia ul Haq. The agenda for the talks was set by the US President. What we understood after this letter was that Pakistan and we did the nuclear deal in 1988 under American pressure”, the Godda MP said on X.

“Whatever we talked to our friend Soviet Russia about on the Afghanistan problem was an American agenda. Is this the Shimla Agreement? Is the Iron Lady the mentality of slavery? Were we a sovereign nation at that time? Is Congress abusing Modi Ji to make India stronger?” the BJP leader questioned.

कांग्रेस को ग़ुस्सा क्यों आता है?
जब इस पेपर को हमने देखा तो मुझे आत्म ग्लानि हुई
अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति रोनाल्ड रेगन ने यह पत्र/ टेलीग्राम तत्कालीन प्रधानमंत्री राजीव गांधी जी को भेजा है
1. अमेरिकी दबाव में हम पाकिस्तानी राष्ट्रपति जेनरल जिया से बात किए
2. बातचीत का एजेंडा… pic.twitter.com/kz9qhPESeo

— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) May 29, 2025

Notably, the Agreement on the prohibition of attack against nuclear installations and facilities between India and Pakistan was signed on December 31, 1988 and entered into force on January 27, 1991 and provides, inter alia, that India and Pakistan inform each other of the nuclear installations and facilities to be covered under the agreement on the first of January of every calendar year.

The agreement also prohibits the two nations from attacking each other’s nuclear installations and facilities. This revelation adds a new layer to the ongoing political debate over third-party involvement in India-Pakistan relations, especially in the wake of recent escalations triggered by the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor.

On Wednesday, Dubey claimed that Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had written a letter to then-United States (US) President Ronald Reagan to help in negotiating with Pakistan.

Sharing a purported letter written by a US president to the Indian Prime Minister on X, Dubey stated that it was decided under the 1972 Shimla Agreement that any dispute between India and Pakistan would be negotiated only between the two countries, and there would be no mediator.

“It is not easy to be Gandhi. This letter is in reply to a letter written by US President Ronald Reagan to the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. When it was decided under the 1972 Shimla Agreement that any dispute between India and Pakistan would be negotiated only between the two countries and there would be no mediator, why did the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi ask for US President Reagan’s help in negotiating with Pakistan?” he questioned on X.

Earlier, the BJP leader had shared a purportedly declassified 1971 US intelligence cable regarding former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s decision to accept a UN ceasefire proposal during the Bangladesh Liberation War, in response to the Opposition’s demand for clarification from the Union Government on the US’s involvement in the recent understanding on the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan.

Earlier, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a dig at External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, saying that he had been “silent” on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks about “US mediation” and a “neutral site” for India-Pakistan talks.

However, India refuted the claims made by the US President, reiterating its policy that India and Pakistan bilaterally address any matter related to the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)