Pakistan’s Nuclear Diplomacy and Engagement with Global Nuclear Norms: Balancing Deterrence Requirements with International Recognition Efforts

Abstract

This research examines how Pakistan’s nuclear diplomacy has entered an intricate dimension where the state has to maintain a viable deterrence system at the same time showing a conformity to the world in line with nuclear practices. Though the nuclear posture of Pakistan has long been conceived in terms of the unilateral security fields of South Asia, modern strategic forces, such as the contentious trend toward modernization experienced by India or the evolving politics in the superpower field, have caused Islamabad to re-calibrate the way it represents and justifies the nuclear decisions. Although still not a signatory to the NPT, Pakistan has steadily institutionalized its export-Control rules, reinforced nuclear security and architecture and promoted a discourse of prudent care. However, there is still the long-standing discrepancy between the way Pakistan views itself as a responsible nuclear power and the selective acknowledgment by the international community of its efforts by the country. This paper explores the way in which Pakistan balances this dualism: on the one hand, by meeting the deterrence criteria based on the regional threat perception, and on the other hand, by operating at the diplomatic level to demand acceptance and possible inclusion of Pakistan in the international nuclear governance institutions like the NSG. The research problem focuses on whether the current diplomatic policies adopted by Pakistan are enough and adequate to transform deeply embedded images of the country in the world and what the structure, politics, and normative restrictions impede the process.