With Pakistan already under U.S. sanctions for its nuclear program, adds Waller, there are not many levers left to pull." And pressure from Islamic fundamentalists and other opposition parties is likely to spur Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to test. Most observers here would be amazed if a test does not take place, reports TIME Islamabad correspondent Hannah Bloch.
Without Europes support on immediate, tough action against India, the best efforts of the U.S. are unlikely to avert another seismic bang -- leaving Washington to ponder how a region tapped for another photogenic presidential excursion later this year suddenly turned into a nuclear hot zone.