It's no secret that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi didn't find it hard to make tough decisions, with the Emergency and the 1971 war with Pakistan being just two of the many she took during her tenure.

Now it's emerged that she was prepared to go even further. A document titled “India's Reaction to Nuclear Developments in Pakistan” which was declassified by the US' Central Intelligence Agency in June, highlights how Indira Gandhi considered a military strike against Pakistan's nuclear weapons in the 1980s. The document dated September 8, 1981 claims that Indira Gandhi was also not happy with the US for providing assistance to Pakistan, by arming them with F-16 fighter jets.

Gandhi’s concern was visible after she decided to test India’s own nuclear test at short notice after she was informed that Pakistan has already started to produce its own nuclear warheads. "If Indian concerns increase over the next two-three months, we believe conditions could be ripe for a decision by Prime Minister Gandhi to instigate a military confrontation with Pakistan," the CIA report said.

The Americans had been well aware of Indira Gandhi's potential for some time by then, having failed at an attempt to intimidate New Delhi in 1971 during its war with Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh. Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, who was in charge at the time made clear his opinions on Indira Gandhi in a White House tape recording of a conversation with reporter John Chancellor in 1971. Talking of Indira Gandhi and powerful women leaders, the reporter went on to say, “We had lunch with Golda Meir in New York after you had seen her and the very first thing she said to me that I am going to take my views for the UN from Indira Gandhi now on.” To which, after a quite "oooh," Nixon says, "You see, they say only if we had women in positions of power, we would have no war. [But] You look at the history of humans, women are tougher than men. And when you look at the two strongest fronts that are willing to take risks, [they] happen to be [led by] two women. Indira Gandhi is very tough.”