I am one of millions of Pakistanis that observe #YoumETakbeer on May 28.

Pakistani nuclear deterrence is existential and thus necessary.

But it is also a day to think about weaknesses that deterrence may inadvertently conceal.

Some questions worth asking on May 28...

1) to what extent was the Kargil clique influenced (in terms of threat matrix) by the nuclear tests that India conducted in 1998? Alternatively, did May 28 catalyse the Kargil fiasco?

2) absent the Indian aggression in testing in 1974 and 1998, what would a conventional race have looked like, and how would it have influenced Pakistan’s wider foreign policy?

3) if the 1998 sanctions had not happened, what kind of relationship would Pakistan have today with Japan (which was damaged by ‘98) and Saudi Arabia (which was deepened by ‘98)?

4) would choosing not to test in response to India’s nuclear provocation of 1998 have yielded Pakistan a different strategic trajectory viz the US - India relationship?

5) how much of the stress in the Sharif Karamat relationship was caused by India’s May 11, 1998 nuclear test and the subsequent defensive response by Pakistan on May 28?

What does Pakistan look like if Gen JK completes his term and PM NS does too?

Can today’s leaders examine the dynamic in South Asia and learn lessons from Sri LK Advani, Sri AB Vajpayee, Honorable Former PM Nawaz Sharif and the great General Jahangir Karamat?

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