A zabukan shekarar 1997, jam'iyyar masu ra'ayin rikau ta samu gagarumin rinjaye, wanda ya ba su damar yin kwaskwarima ga kundin tsarin mulkin kasar, domin a rage tantancewa da daidaita karfin ikon Firayim Minista.Nawaz Sharif ya fuskanci kalubalen hukumomi daga manyan mutane kamar shugaba Farooq Leghari, shugaban kwamatin hafsan hafsoshin sojojin Janar Jehangir Karamat, babban hafsan sojin ruwa Admiral Fasih Bokharie, da kuma babban mai shari'a Sajjad Ali Shah.Sharif ya yi nasarar tinkarar wadannan kalubalen, wanda ya yi sanadiyar murabus din dukkansu hudu, inda alkalin alkalai Shah ya sauka daga mukaminsa bayan da magoya bayan Sharif suka mamaye kotun kolin.Tashin hankali da Indiya ya karu a cikin 1998 bayan gwaje-gwajen nukiliya na Indiya (Operation Shakti).A martanin da ya mayar, Sharif ya kira taron kwamitin tsaro na majalisar ministocin, inda daga bisani ya ba da umarnin yin gwajin makaman nukiliya na Pakistan a tsaunin Chagai.Wannan matakin, yayin da aka yi Allah wadai da shi, ya kasance sananne a cikin gida da kuma haɓaka shirye-shiryen soja a kan iyakar Indiya .Babban martanin da Sharif ya mayar kan sukar da kasashen duniya ke yi bayan gwaje-gwajen nukiliyar sun hada da yin Allah wadai da Indiya kan yaduwar makaman nukiliya da kuma sukar Amurka kan amfani da makamin nukiliya a tarihi akasar Japan .Duniya, maimakon ta matsa wa [Indiya]...ka da ta dauki hanya mai barna... ta kakaba wa [Pakistan] takunkumi iri-iri ba tare da wani laifi ba...!Idan da Japan na da nata makaman nukiliya...[garuruwan]...Hiroshima da Nagasaki da ba su fuskanci halakar atomic a hannun Amurka ba.A karkashin jagorancinsa, Pakistan ta zama kasa ta bakwai da aka ayyana mallakar makamin nukiliya kuma ta farko a duniyar musulmi.Baya ga ci gaban nukiliya, gwamnatin Sharif ta aiwatar da manufofin muhalli ta hanyar kafa hukumar kare muhalli ta Pakistan.A ci gaba da manufofin al'adu na Bhutto, Sharif ya ba wa wasu damar shiga kafafen yada labarai na Indiya, wanda ke nuna dan canji a manufofin yada labarai.