Former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar has defended the nuclear weapon as "weapon of peace" which acts as a deterrent. <br/>Speaking at a function in Mumbai he said when India tested its nuclear bombs in 1974 and 1998, the sanctions imposed by those countries were meant to be a deterrent to India but for India it became a real opportunity and its research and development today has reached a robust level.<br/>He said the country today is far ahead of them in some of the technologies. <br/>