NPT and CTBT

Also: Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

Definition

The NPT (1968) and the CTBT (1996) are the two main global treaties on nuclear weapons. The NPT limits nuclear weapons to five recognised states and promotes disarmament and peaceful use; the CTBT bans all nuclear test explosions but has not entered into force. India has signed neither, calling them discriminatory.

Summary card: NPT and CTBT. NPT opened for signature: 1 July 1968; in force 1970; extended indefinitely in 1995. NPT nuclear-weapon states: US, Russia, UK, France, China (those that tested before 1 January 1967). NPT non-parties: India, Pakistan, Israel, South Sudan; North Korea announced withdrawal in 2003. CTBT adopted by the UN General Assembly: September 1996. CTBT entry into force needs all 44 "Annex 2" states to ratify, including India. CTBT verification body: the CTBTO Preparatory Commission in Vienna — Summary card © UPSCPrep.in

Background and evolution

The NPT rests on three pillars: non-proliferation (non-nuclear states agree not to acquire weapons), disarmament (nuclear states commit under Article VI to negotiate in good faith towards disarmament) and the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy under IAEA safeguards. Review conferences are held every five years.

India took part in early disarmament diplomacy. Nehru proposed a "standstill agreement" on nuclear testing in 1954, and India supported the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. But India rejected the NPT because it froze a division between nuclear "haves" and "have-nots" without a timeline for disarmament, at a time when China had tested a bomb in 1964. India also argued that the CTBT, as finally drafted in 1996, lacked a commitment to time-bound disarmament and was aimed at countries outside the NPT, and it blocked consensus on the treaty at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.

Key features and provisions

NPT Article I and II: nuclear states must not transfer weapons; non-nuclear states must not acquire them.
NPT Article IV: right to peaceful nuclear energy.
NPT Article VI: disarmament obligation.
NPT Article X: right to withdraw with three months' notice.
CTBT: bans all nuclear explosions, with an International Monitoring System of seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide stations.

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Last reviewed: 23 October 2026 · Original UPSCPrep.in content.