We will strengthen n-arsenal, says Pak, slams US for India nuclear deal
PranabDhal Samanta Posted online: Thu Jan 27 2011, 02:45 hrs
indianexpress.com
New Delhi : Strongly protesting the US decision to facilitate India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Pakistan has threatened to take “requisite steps” to strengthen its credible deterrence.
This decision, Pakistan told the Conference of Disarmament (CD) on Tuesday, was taken last month by its apex body on strategic affairs, the National Command Authority (NCA).
In a clear indication of its intent, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative at the CD in Geneva Zamir Akram told the Conference on its opening day that the “accumulative impact” of this decision would be to “destabilize the security environment in South Asia” which would “retard progress” on non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament measures.
“Membership of the NSG will enable our neighbour to further expand upon its nuclear cooperation agreements and enhance its nuclear weapons and delivery capability. As a consequence, Pakistan will be forced to take measures to ensure the credibility of its deterrence.”
The Pakistan delegation also circulated the decision of its NCA on December 14, 2010, which had met a month after US President Barack Obama’s visit to India to review the implications of these developments on Pakistan’s national security. The NCA text stated:
“The NCA expressed concern over policies and trends of selectivity, exceptionalism and discrimination relating to strategic control regimes... Revisionism based on strategic, political or commercial considerations accentuates asymmetries and would perpetuate instability, especially in South Asia. The NCA categorically reiterated that Pakistan will never accept discriminatory treatment and that it rejects any effort to undermine its strategic deterrence. Pakistan will not be a party to any approach that is prejudicial to its legitimate national security interests.”
Spelling this out more clearly in his statement, Akram said the US decision has taken Pakistan further away from agreeing to a Fissile Materials Cut-off Treaty. “It is obvious from what I have stated that Pakistan’s opposition to negotiations on a FMCT has further strengthened as a result of these developments,” he said.
Coming down hard on the US, Akram said it was “unfortunate” that it had decided to go beyond the one-time waiver from the NSG for the nuclear deal and agree to “support our neighbour’s full membership” in the four multilateral export control regimes, the NSG, Missile Technology Control Regime, Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement.
Pakistan also raised questions on changing the membership criteria for India alone as it is not a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. “In other words, to create yet another set of discriminatory criteria, tailormade to suit only one country, as was done when providing the same country with the NSG waiver for nuclear cooperation.”
According to Akram, the US has already conveyed its intent on this to the NSG Consultative Group meeting in Vienna last November. “Two of them (NSG members) have already indicated their concurrence, no doubt with an eye on profits to be made from their own nuclear cooperation agreements with the recipient country.”
It may be noted that China has been pushing for sale of two additional nuclear reactors to Pakistan, which has been objected to by the US. While Beijing took everyone by surprise when it chose to first inform the IAEA Board on its intended sale and not the NSG, the US has already told the NSG that it’s opposed to the deal.
Already incensed over those developments and constant watch on its own arsenal, an angry Pakistan told the CD: “We must ask ourselves whether the NSG can afford to flout its own rules by opening up its membership to a country whose nuclear tests in 1974 were the basis for the creation of NSG. If it does so, the NSG will have no credibility left in the context of the international non-proliferation regime.” |
