Pokhran yield: 'NSA barking up the wrong tree'

Former Defence Research and Development Organisation scientist K Santhanam, who questioned the success of 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests, on Monday hit out at National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, saying the official was 'barking up the wrong tree' by contending he was not privy to test measurements and information.

Terming the remarks by the NSA as 'unnecessary', he also demanded that an independent panel probe the success of the Pokhran tests.

Narayanan is 'barking up the wrong tree', he said at an interaction with journalists at the Indian Women Press Corp in New Delhi.

Santhanam also sought to counter claims by Narayanan and others in the establishment that he was not privy to the test measurements and information on Pokhran-II tests.

The former DRDO scientist had last month questioned the the efficacy of the thermonuclear device during the Pokhran-II tests. He had described the May 11, 1998 tests as a 'fizzle' (failure to achieve expected yield) and said India needed to conduct more tests besides not signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Narayanan has termed Santhanam's claims about Pokhran-II as "horrific" and asserted that India has thermonuclear capabilities, which have been verified by a peer group of researchers.

Image: Shakti-1 Thermo-nuclear weapon during 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests
Photograph: Government of India