India can conduct nuclear tests “in supreme national interests” if the international situation warrants it and no pact or treaty could come in the way, former President A P J Adbul Kalam said on Sunday. Kalam also said the waiver granted by the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group in Vienna on Saturday “is a very important milestone” for India and “we should rejoice today...”

“When the supreme national interest is there, no pact, no treaty, nothing can come in between. If international situation made the nation do a test, it has to do a test,” Kalam said when asked whether India can conduct nuclear tests after the operationalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal. He said the Indo-US nuclear deal does not mention nuclear tests.

But “if conducting a test is of prime national importance, we will conduct a test... In the case of supreme national interest, we would conduct a test.” Kalam added: “This could lead to two things—either the pact will collapse or it could survive if we can prove we have conducted a test for supreme reasons.”

Asked if the Indo-US nuclear deal would affect India’s military facilities and also the capability to conduct further tests to make a nuclear weapon, he said “going by our strategic reasons, nobody can stop us”.

Asked about the Government’s reiteration of the moratorium on further nuclear tests, Kalam said, “This means you have built certain type of nuclear weapons. With that confidence, you say I will not do any more tests.”