Newly declassified transcripts of private conversations between Vladimir Putin and George W Bush reveal deep global fears over Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. The records show both leaders openly describing Pakistan as an unstable military junta with nuclear arms and expressing concern over nuclear technology leaking to Iran and North Korea. The candid exchanges confirm what India has warned the world about for years, Pakistan’s nuclear programme poses serious risks due to political instability, weak oversight, and extremist influence. As evidence of Pakistani-origin uranium surfaced in Iran’s centrifuges, even Washington and Moscow admitted they were nervous. What was publicly downplayed was privately feared.