In principle, there is nothing inherently ‘wrong’ with the deal, but it does expose some of the hypocrisies that surround the trading of uranium. No cries of fear and outrage were to be heard from those countries keenest to police nuclear non-proliferation, no concerns expressed about the possibility of the Australian uranium being converted to weapons-grade material. The world at large seems relatively relaxed about India going shopping in the nuclear supermarket, and one wonders if it would be similarly relaxed if Pakistan did the same? One suspects not. Everything is negotiable. The Americans signed a deal with India in 2008 which allowed India to buy American nuclear fuel without scaling back its nuclear weapons programme. It is seeking a similar deal with Japan (which ironically is abandoning nuclear power in the wake of the Tsunami disaster in 2011) and nuclear non-proliferation is shown to be not a one-size-fits-all garment, ‘adjust to fit’ being the watchword.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 9th, 2014.
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@Naeem Khan: India is acquiring nucler technolgy and indigenously developing them as well and it technology is not solely dependant on uranium only.It has the worlds larget resource of thoriusm another nculear grade fuel.India si repected for it non proliferation record and it has not becom the Walmart of nucler proliferation and selling it at discounted rates.
@Sid: You forgot the dates export.LOL
I don't know why many are blaming AQ Khan for the proliferation. The fact is that he did what he was asked to do by the generals. AQ Khan was foolish to feel that he had all powers. Gaddafi had said that Libya paid $100 million for the technology. AQ Khan is not living a lavish lifestyle. Who got the money? Musharraf and Pakistan's army did not allow AQ Khan to be questioned. AQ Khan is still angry at Musharraf. In one interview he said that he would like to see Musharraf on the streets with torn clothes and not able to hide his shame. Even today, If AQ Khan is allowed to go to USA or Europe, he would reveal truth but Pakistan's army will not allow him to leave the country, though they may claim there is no such restriction. Was AQ Khan even able to perform Hajj pilgrimage after he was freed from his arrest? We have to remember that no civilian president or prime minister is allowed in the nuclear facilities, even today. Benazir Bhutto was also not allowed even when she was Prime Minister. Same applies to Nawaz Sharif. Establishment has total control of all nuclear facilities. AQ Khan stole technology and made Pakistan nuclear. I have regards for him for doing this (and only this) as a patriotic citizen.
Don't blame India if they are able to get Uranium from Australia. Ask Australia why they are selling Uranium to India. Nobody is stopping Pakistan to buy nuclear material wherever they want to but fact is Pakistan has been a bad and not a responsible boy. AQ Khan started his own supper market of nuclear material in the world. The present scenario in Pakistan what's going on in the country, nobody wants to take a chance to sell nuclear material to Pakistan except China. Nobody is sure the present regime can change. Country can again change to dictatorship. 67 years of independence is being wasted. A whole generation is almost gone and Pakistan doesn't know its identity, its rout, its direction. Any country where its minorities are ill treated can not make progress. Pakistan must show to the world that its a responsible , mature, and accountable nation and watch it, other nations will be knock and beg at its door come and buy Uranium from us. Get rid of AQ Khans like and all the world will supply you what ever Pakistan want.
The article is in right spirit. So, here is an explanation how someone can be provided uranium without having signed NPT.
Do not sign NPT for it being discriminatory, and putting your national interest in disadvantage vis-a-vis nuclear haves.
But, agree to follow all norms of the NPT. i.e. Do not proliferate the technology, do not help countries indulging in weaponization, participate in world wide bans/sanctions on nations trying to gain nuclear weapons clandestinely (i.e. having signed NPT, but trying to break the rules).
Gain economic might where the people inside the tent look silly for having kept you outside the tent. make it progressively impossible for hypocritical nations (i.e. USA) to deny both technology and trade in nuclear materials.
Most important - Don't be a state sponsor of terror groups. Worst nightmare of the world is for a nuclear weapon to be in the hands of terrorists.
Pakistan can surely do the above things. It'll take time. perhaps 20-40years to build credibility.
@Aschraful Makhlooq:... because Pakistan is a proven proliferator of nuclear technology. You have to be happy with what you've got after a record like that.
@Bakhtiyar Ghazi Khan: It doesn't cost any thing to dream. You are being carried away by misplaced nationalism. Pakistan defeated Russians? Now it is getting stupid. You let Americans fire from your shoulders. Pakistan simply did not have arms, money or strategy to wage war against Soviets. US used your country. After loosing wars and half the country still guys like you talk bravado.
@Bakhtiyar Ghazi Khan: "strong, independent Muslim countries"......was bad joke enough that you have to add " including Pakistan" ...... if Muslim countries are indeed truly independent they wont be importing more than exporting. The only thing Muslim countries export is oil by Arabs, tourism by Egypt, mangoes by Pakistan and lo the list is over. every muslim countries economy depends on foreign funds, and Pakistan sits on top five in that "foreign aid mercy" list. Strong ? if muslim countries were indeed strong then in post world war 2 when rest of the world had been mostly peaceful, Muslim countries were bombing each other , and in last decade or two it has only got worst. If you want to blam foreign powers for it than u r again caught in your own trap that if you were strong how come any foreign influence disturb you so bad that your people start killing each other. If Pakistan was ever strong then Bangladesh would still be part of Pakistan. I can go on, but knowing you pretty well from all your past comments, I have done enough harm to my intellect to even try to correct your delusion. @ET: Rebutting Mr. B G Khan's delusional rant. Please publish.
@Bakhtiyar Ghazi Khan
Nobody needs to "prevent peace, security, safety, progress, and unity among Muslim nations". You guys are quite capable of doing it on your own - do I need to point out various instances all across the globe?
But why waste my breath - those who are deluded, will continue to be so. Apropos your later comments - just one word - 1971!
Hilarious!!!
@Naeem Khan:
"So my friends in India should not gloat so much because if and when the crunch comes, you will find yourself all alone and may be feed those nuclear weapons to you teeming poverty stricken masses or use it on China or Pakistan."
Well, if Pakistan can have a policy of "we will eat grass to get Islamic nukes", Indians can eat grass too if they choose.
Pressure is on all strong, independent Muslim countries, including Pakistan. The goal is to prevent peace, security, safety, progress, and unity among Muslim nations.
These countries don't remember what a cornered Pakistan is capable of. Pakistan defeated an invasion of its territory 3 times, the first time without a military (due to British/Indian connivance). Ask the Soviets about their invasion of Afghanistan and Pakistan. I suggest all those Indians who wish for war, go and visit Wagah and see the defeat of Indian army by Pakistani villagers just a few dozen years ago.
Proud of being Pakistani.
@Naeem Khan: I think the first country to have nuclear weapon in the region was China. So no, India did not start it.
@Naeem Khan: No Indian is gloating based on US support. In fact US had denied visa to Modi, Indians did not take that into consideration because we trust our courts rather than a foreign mandate and he is now our PM. India is a non aligned nation and its voting record in UN proves that. India is even accelerating work on Chabahar port while Pakistan hesitates to proceed on the IP pipeline.
@Shirallae Aleph: India has waiver from NSG and IAEA for purchase of uranium. For this reason, there is nothing unusual abou this deal. A blanket acceptance about uranium being sold to any country that wants it does not exist.
I should have guessed it , Indian Trolls are all over this page defending and not forgetting that India started the nuclear race in the Sub-Continent. Is there any need for nuclear weapons in the sub-continent , I think not. Both countries has teeming poverty and instead of taking care of their populace, they are spending billions on nuclear race. One should understand that US is trying to make India stand up to China just like they dragged Pakistan into cold war and make them part of SEATO and CENTO and when the crunch came, Pakistan was abandoned and they did the same to Afghanistan after the USSR defeat. So my friends in India should not gloat so much because if and when the crunch comes, you will find yourself all alone and may be feed those nuclear weapons to you teeming poverty stricken masses or use it on China or Pakistan. Countries don't become super powers just by acquiring nuclear weapons and by the way Pakistan does need to import Uranium form any country because they got plenty of Uranium ore in Baluchistan and they are processing it. How do you think they came up with these stupid nuclear weapons.
Sir, Reading this editorial I am reminded what a overseas Pakistani told me on a flight to Europe couple of years ago. He said and I quote," we Pakistanis have fine tuned the art of crying wolf and blaming everybody except ourselves for our problems." first you used to put all your eggs in the American basket and now you want the chinese basket for. Come on, trying weaving your own basket and the world will not look down upon you.
@Musakhel:
I think you don't understand the meaning of the word 'proliferation' despite explanation given by Gp65. Refer dictionaries or still better, ask AQ Khan.
"The world at large seems relatively relaxed about India going shopping in the nuclear supermarket, and one wonders if it would be similarly relaxed if Pakistan did the same?"
Why one wonders? Just analyze security situation, terrorism, democratic system, religion based hate and extremism, internationally banned organization working in country, nuclear blackmarket, etc and all wonders will fade away.
@Been: You see, Indian police catching the perpetrators while in Pakistan AQ Khan is a hero.
@Been: Trying to be a Mr Bean ?
@ET have some shame while adding 43 recommendations @Been:
Beware of additions of New Nukes in South Asia with export uranium quality. Ironical, India get sufficient on military nuclear build up and just in order to have face value it propagates to be energy starved which turn towards civilian nuclear purposes. Who is not energy starved in this world? It means everyone should cling with nuclear.
This deal will abrogate various NPT clauses, it will violate obligations of the Treaty of Rarotonga, which binds it from not indulging in such trade. Article 4 of the Rarotonga Treaty requires India to comply with safeguards requirements of Article III(1) of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). Article III(1) of the NPT is about reaching a comprehensive safeguards agreement with IAEA.
Agreed with this that ‘there is nothing inherently ‘wrong’ with the deal’. It means that uranium can be exported to any country anywhere in the world for any world. Uranium is not an ordinary commodity for sale and purchase. From peaceful usage, it can turn to a highly devastative form to be used as a fissile material for nukes. India very covertly developed nuclear weapons program than turned towards civilian nuclear usage. So nobody knows when this Australian exported uranium would be used for New Nuclear Weapons.
India will secure it's indigenous uranium resources for weapons production while Australian uranium will be utilized in other sectors. If we look at the picture, it seems crystal clear that this strange deal will boost Indian weapons stocks.
It is due to the improper safety and security measures for Indian nuclear Installations that many theft cases have been recorded: in the decade of 1990, more than 130 mishaps took place in the Indian atomic set up; in 1998, there were 28 accidents in 9 power stations, in which five nuclear power plants caught fire, while poisonous gas spread in heavy water plant at one place, causing a scientist’s death; in May 2000, Mumbai police arrested a person with 8 kilogram of Uranium; according to IAEA in August 2001, the western Bengali police caught two people with 200 kilogram of semi-processed uranium; according to CNN report of January 26, 2003, Indian company NEC Engineers Pvt Ltd sent 10 consignments to Iraq which also includes machinery, sensitive to atomic plant[1]; in December 2007, Mumbai police arrested three persons with enriched uranium; in February 2008, police arrested smugglers with 5kg of uranium; on November 13, 2008, Indian police arrested 8 persons, involved in the illegal trade of uranium; and on November 7, 2000 according to IAEA resources, Indian police arrested two persons, having 57 pounds of uranium with them.
@Gp65...That was not an incident rather a self motivated and goal oriented step taken by India. Infact NSG was formed in response to India's proliferation issue . It would be recommended to you to unfold the historical proliferation record of India and also to turn the pages backward so that you can have better knowledge regarding the NSG.
@MusaKhel: Not only the USA or anyone else did not object to India-Australia deal on Uranium but, as the article claims, it did not make a news anywhere else in the world. Why? It was a news when USA and India signed a nuclear treaty and IAEA and NSG gave waivers. After that it makes no news if india buys a quintal of uranium from here and a ton from there.
Trust and Respect are Commanded, not Demanded.
@MusaKhel: The incident of converting Canadian uranium supply to weapons grade uranium in the 1970s does not amount to proliferation. Please check the dictionary meaning of proliferation. In any case from 1974 onwards India faced all kinds of sanctions until 2008.
US has no grounds to object since IAEA and NSG have given waiver to India under the 2008 deal.
This is the very point from where a neutral member of international community can better judge the discriminatory policies of bigger powers or those states who are very much into voicing loud about the international non-proliferation regime and in favor of global disarmament. Where USA policies have gone when India and Australia have signed the agreement. India's proliferation record have been exposed to world where it converted the Canadian supplied fuel for weapons grade uranium. And now again despite of the fact that Australia is a member to NPT and is not allowed to transfer or supply nuclear technology or related material to a state like India whose proliferation record is so bad, have once again given a serious blow to the non proliferation regime.
Brother, deep heartburn is visible at this news. India is merely trying to diversify its sources of energy to feed its growing needs, if possible Pakistan must do the same. India has large deposits of Thorium and Technology for processing and using in Reactors too, but probably keeping it for a rainy day.
AQ Khan network is the answer..........
2 things are not mentioned here for obvious reasons
1) Pakistan, by its own admission, proliferated nuclear weapons and technology to a rogue country - North Korea. Remember the AQ Khan network?
India has not done such things. Can you compare an innocent man with someone who is not?
2) India has NOT signed by the NPT, Japan and Australia have. NSG has given a waiver to India, so did IAEA.
India, nor Japan, nor Australia are breaking any legal or ethical norms. But, nuclear commerce with Pakistan will make Australia violate the NPT(as Pakistan has no such waiver from NSG) and also the unwritten rule of not supplying to a country which has proliferated dangerous, highly sensitive technology to authoritarian and sanctioned country - North Korea.
India gets Uranium and Pakistan wont. Deal with it.
We cannot blame or criticizing Australia and rest of the world for not treating Pakistan the same way. Our credibility as a responsible nation is all time low and keeps dropping. The worst embarrassment was when Osama was found and the downward graph continues. Besides internal instability also presents a very negative picture. No one is buying our demands.
You don't hear 'No cries of fear and outrage' because we don't have the so called "Atomic fathers" like AQ Khan selling bomb design & materials for money and religious affinity. The world at large believes India is a responsible power and at ease when India shops. Pakistan on the other hand is a nation full of religious intolarent people whose army exports terrorists and trying to oust elected government to establish its supremacy.
I'd like to bring your attention to what Tony Abbott (PM, Australia ) said on siging this deal, "India has absolutely impeccable record on nuclear non-proliferation".
Can the same be said about Pakistan? Forget what happenned in the past (AQ network ,et al); what is really concerning is a nation openly with links to known terrorists wishing for n-deals!!
India did not sell nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya as Pakistan did. India has a no first use policy with regards to. Nuclear weapons which Pakistan does not, finally unlike Pakistan, India does not indulge in nuclear blackmail by always demanding billions of dollars or else terrorists may take over their nuclear weapons.
It is for all these reasons thatIndia gets different treatment than Pakistan,
Not a question of hypocrisy but rather different behaiors leads to different outcomes.
one wonders if it would be similarly relaxed if Pakistan did the same? The right question is one wonders if it would be similarly ever relaxed if Pakistan did the same? Pakistan has to blame owners of nuclear supermarket for the export of nuclear material/technology to Iran, KSA, Libya, North Korea etc. Also Pakistan nuclear bomb is also called Muslim Bomb and in light of potential for falling nuclear material in the hands of Taliban's, non-state actors, Jihadi's, Al Qeda, ISIS or whatever name is fashionable this week group. No sane country in the world will give nuclear material to Pakistan except for China because Pakistan is going to be part of China sooner or later anyway.
"Everything is negotiable."
This has to do with realpolitik and is not simply about negotiations. If you were to set aside your biases and take an impartial view of geopolitics, it is not too hard to see which way the winds of change are blowing. I am sure that some assurances were sought and given. What is more important is that it takes a very high level of trust to reach such deals. This is why your hope for parity on such matters remains wishful thinking.
"one wonders if it would be similarly relaxed if Pakistan did the same?"
Seriously? You have to wonder? Is the answer not staring you in the face?
There is nothing that is a one size fits all in this world. Since the allusion is to Pakistan being denied a similar deal, the size determination factors in this case is the history of blatant nuclear proliferation- aka running a nuclear Wal-Mart for fellow rogues of the world, usage of terrorism as an instrument of state policy to actively destabilize the neighbourhood, attempt to nuclear blackmail and above all, peddling of a dangerous and utterly caustic ideology under the garb of Islamization. Given these terrific characteristics, which country in it's right mind would even dream of giving anything nuclear to Pakistan.
"The world at large seems relatively relaxed about India going shopping in the nuclear supermarket, and one wonders if it would be similarly relaxed if Pakistan did the same? One suspects not." Of course NOT. This is a no-brainer: India did not have a Dr. Khan peddling nuclear technology to the North Koreans in exchange for their missiles. So as much as it hates it, Pakistan will not be treated on par with respect to the Indians in the NSG.
the difference btwn India and Pakistan is that while India's record in non proliferation has been impeccable...Pakistan has been found to indulge in supplying n helping other countries nuclear technology fr destructive purposes.. I think that carries a lot of weight in consideration of any such pact with Pakistan.
india and pakistan are have different world stature ....... y compare??/ ;)