Kahuta Surveillance Operation

YEAR

1974

LOCATION

Kahuta, Punjab, Pakistan

AGENCY

Research and Analysis Wing

OUTCOME

Partial. R&AW successfully mapped Pakistan's uranium enrichment programme and tracked its progress toward weaponisation. Full operational details — including human assets and technical methods — remain classified.

Operation Summary

Following Pakistan's acceleration of its nuclear programme after India's 1974 test, R&AW mounted a sustained intelligence operation targeting the Khan Research Laboratories at Kahuta. The programme tracked uranium enrichment progress, identified key scientists, monitored procurement networks across Europe and the United States, and reported on Pakistan's weapons development timeline. The intelligence shaped India's nuclear deterrence calculations and informed its own weapons programme decisions.

Personnel

ARCHITECTRameshwar Nath Kao

R&AW Director — initiated surveillance programme (1974–1977)

Cross-References

R&AW · 1974PARTIAL