Includes bibliographical references and index.

Atoms for peace at crossroads of history -- Ayub's non-decision and the nuclear bomb option -- Never again -- The route to nuclear ambition -- Punishing Pakistan -- Mastery of uranium enrichment -- Procurement network in the gray market -- Building the bomb -- Mastery of plutonium production -- Military crises and nuclear signalling -- Pakistan's missile quest -- The grazing horse in the meadows -- The nuclear test decision -- The dawn of a nuclear power -- A shaky beginning : Kargil and its aftermath -- Establishment of robust command and control -- Testing the deterrent -- The unraveling of the Khan network -- Nuclear Pakistan and the world.