India Renews Proposal to Enshrine Nuclear No-First-Use Pledge in Multilateral Agreement

India has renewed its proposal to incorporate its pledges not to launch a nuclear strike first and not to use nuclear weapons against countries that do not possess them into a multilateral legal agreement. Speaking to the UN General Assembly’s First Committee in New York, Congress MP Manish Tewari said India continues to support universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament through multilateral negotiations.

Tewari reiterated India’s approach of maintaining credible minimum deterrence, observing a No First Use policy and refraining from using nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states. He also reaffirmed the country’s voluntary pause on nuclear testing. On emerging technological risks, he said decisions about using nuclear weapons must remain under human control, citing concerns about integrating artificial intelligence into nuclear command-and-control systems. Tewari also restated India’s longstanding proposals to reduce nuclear risks, including taking nuclear weapons off high alert and negotiating an international convention banning their use or threat of use.