Consider the following countries.
1. China
2. France
3. India
4. Israel
5. Pakistan
Which among the above are Nuclear Weapons States as recognized by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)?

The correct option is 1 and 2 only.

To understand why this option is correct, we must look at the specific definition of a Nuclear-Weapon State (NWS) established by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Under Article IX, paragraph 3 of the NPT, a Nuclear-Weapon State is defined as one that manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device prior to January 1, 1967.

Only five countries meet this criterion and are recognized as Nuclear-Weapon States under the treaty:
1. China
2. France
3. The Russian Federation (formerly the Soviet Union)
4. The United Kingdom
5. The United States

Among the countries listed in the question, China (1) and France (2) are part of these five recognized states.

The other countries listed are not recognized as Nuclear-Weapon States under the NPT for the following reasons:
• India (3) and Pakistan (5) did not test nuclear weapons before the January 1, 1967 threshold and have not signed the NPT.
• Israel (4) has also not signed the treaty and maintains a policy of deliberate ambiguity regarding its nuclear program.
Since these three countries are not parties to the NPT, they are not recognized as Nuclear-Weapon States within the framework of the treaty, despite possessing nuclear arsenals.

Therefore, only China and France are recognized NPT Nuclear Weapons States among the options provided, making 1 and 2 only the correct choice.