PAKISTAN'S NUCLEARIZATION - A COMPULSIVE GEO-POLITICAL NECESSITY.

The division of Indo-Pak subcontinent as an independent Pakistan left the long term bone of contention between Pakistan and India: The Kashmir issue. So deep were the geo-political roots of this dispute that it created grounds for the nuclearization of South Asia. This paper explores the development of Pakistan's nuclear policy under changing democratic and military leaderships, for determining its continuity, changes and pace due to domestic and regional politics. The nuclear dialogue and the negotiations on Kashmir must, go hand in hand to prevent India and Pakistan from escalating the nuclear threat in the region and the world in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]