The US-India nuclear deal that has been operationalised during the visit of President Barack Obama is being fiercely criticised by the Pakistan government PHOTO: AFP
There is a tight set of rules and regulations surrounding membership of the NSG, but discretionary exemptions may be granted. Granting such an exemption to India at this point may compromise the fragile regional stability; as well as feeding through to eroding the credibility of the NSG with the potential to weaken the non-proliferation regime. India and Pakistan have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the Pakistan position is that if special pleadings are to be allowed by India, why not allow them for other non-signatories — like Pakistan. The International Atomic Energy Agency approved the India Safeguards Agreement on September 6, 2008 granting that country a waiver at the NSG despite misgivings expressed by other states, which was an unprecedented step. It had sat on the back burner since then, and Australia had expressed concerns in the recent past about its operationalisation. That all seems to have been swept away by the Obama visit. As regards the membership of the Security Council, Pakistan, along with many other nations, regards its reform as long overdue, but with India in violation of various United Nations Security Council resolutions, its moral right to a place on it is deeply compromised. The Pakistan government has every right to feel annoyed at these latest moves, none of which are likely to impact positively on any future peace talks with India.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 29th, 2015.
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India being a non-signatory to the NPT does not qualify for transfer of nuclear material from the NSG even for peaceful purposes or becoming the member of the NSG. Indian covert uranium exploitation mines is an open secret and along with the illicit trade network. Indian nuclear material can easily get into wrong hands and can be used for nuclear terrorism.
No country in the world will ever believe Pakistan in any field after realising its duplicity in war on terror.
The operative word: pleadings. Stark reality: Power politics. Fact of the matter: Beggars cannot be choosers. Way out: May Pakistan gain credibility. Difficult but not impossible.
Looking at photo of Modi drinking tea with Obama one thinks that in his life the chaiwala Modi must have made the most expensive cup of tea anywhere and sold in the world so far and also in for future. (there were news in India that tea has been prepared by mr. Modi)
Your foreign office jst contradicted Sartaj Aziz and said that the Indo-US deal is a bilateral matter and nothing to do with Pakistan.
The deal also violates other positions agreed upon by consensus by NPT members, including a 1995 agreement on principles and objectives for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, which states, “New supply arrangements for the transfer of source or special fissionable material or equipment or material especially designed or prepared for the processing, use or production of special fissionable material to non-nuclear-weapon States should require, as a necessary precondition, acceptance of the Agency's full-scope safeguards and internationally legally binding commitments not to acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.”
Why Pakistan is crying every time when some other countries vouched for India's progress and prosperity? This comes with a lot of hard work and perseverance. May be the country India is not great. But one should appreciate that they are trying hard to move ahead in multiple fronts ( including poverty and women's security).I don't see we Pakistanis are working very hard on any front. Let us work hard like Japan and South Korea to put our country back in front states instead of crying over and over again for something we may deserve but can not get without working hard.
South Asia is largely dominated by tit for tat strategy and security dilemma which is extensively exists between the two de facto nuclear weapon states Pakistan and India. Does it a matter of deal or NSG? It’s more than that; a serious blow to global nonproliferation regime. Why we are overlooking the basic origin of NSG; it is the Indian Atoms for Peace nuclear initiative which constituted towards the building of a group. Where stands Obama’s Global Disarmament with this extension of nuclear deal to such a state which is a nuclear proliferator in South Asia; India. Why South Asia is at most of the times at high risk of nuclear exchange. It is the very India who introduced nuclear weapons to the region.
Nothing new, pakistan always blame others for its own incapability.India invited Obama and succeeded and pakistan invited but failed.Pakistan annoyed???Then keep remaining annoyed as no one is asking for pakistans opinion.
Nothing pakistan always blames others for its own capability.India invited Obama and succeeded and pakistan invited but failed.Pakistan annoyed??? Then keep remaining annoyed no one is asking for your opinion.
Detrimental impact on south asian stability?
Does this mean we have 'stability' in the region now? Anything US-India does is likely to destabilize the region any further. In fact, a strong India will stabilize the region, as asymmetry will push Pakistan to reconcile on many fronts and focus on its own growth.
The very hypocrite nature of Obama and international community is clearly visible. Obama while lauding high for global disarmament is now granting and supporting India an exemption in NSG and also allowed to trade with India in the form of nuclear deal. The very concept of global disarmament is thus once again remained a myth in his realist world. Why the USA and international community forgets about the India's past proliferation record where it converted the Canadian supplied fuel for military purposes. No wonder India would commit the same sin again.
This editorial skirts the very basic issue of Nuclear non proliferation and role of Nuclear weapons. From day one India has publicly announced no first use policy therefore no one fears them. Pakistan when caught proliferating claimed an individual was involved and not the State and shielded the proliferator. That this same country also claims it will use these weapons if threatened is scary. Now figure out if you can observe the difference.
@Grace: The weakness of India are her problem. But electricity n development will only improve all those who have lower income.
Govt is right in setting up power plants, solar or nuclear
@Grace:
Why are you getting involved in Indo-Canadian matters? Canada is supportive of India entering NSG.
If Canada is not angry and Indo-Canadian relations are good, why are you so worried?
Do we comment on AQ Khan stealing blueprints from Holland?
Dear Grace, Why do You think US is some kind of headmaster who punishes and reward its pupils?? It is just a country like your's and mine's working for self interest and the interest of it's people.
In this world all countries woo the powerful the economically mighty and country with future.Yours once was, now unfortunately it is in shambles. Were you people well enough to woo foreign investors not just in defense but also in various other industries, then mark my words Mr. Obama would have signed all the same deals with you as well on one foot.
Unfortunately the long spell of military rule accompanied with inefficient leaders has been catastrophic for your development.
P.S: India's defense expenditure as per World Bank data is just 2.4% of GDP(with this much spending we look after one of the longest borders in the world, we also have to be pose deterrents against not so friendly China) compared to 3.5% for Pakistan. Now you realize which country is more in need of reallocating it's government spending. ( http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS)
@Grace: " It’s a scandal that India is the biggest buyer of weapons in the world when so many people sleep on the streets in poverty. The US and Western countries need to point out this obvious fact to Indian leaders who have delusions of world importance."
Unlike Pakistan, India does not get free arms and has to pay for that. It would manage with fewer arms If a neighbor to its west had not started 3 wars and was not continuing to push proxies even today.
and the Pakistan position is that if special pleadings are to be allowed by India, why not allow them for other non-signatories — like Pakistan. I think the appropriate answer in this case is duh!. Pakistan is not India and takes great pride in not being anything like India, - and has over time provided the world with enough proof points to trust it on this one argument. Consequently, pls make your own case for any such deal instead of hanging on India's coat tails. You are a country of 200 M people with approx the same per capita GDP as India, so pls stop fooling yourselves with the 'India is a big market' argument. Pakistan is a HUGE market by any standards (notice how companies are making a beeline for Myanmar as soon as it opened up), but ruled by people with misplaced priorities - leaders who are more concerned with depriving India of its share of success than in finding a way to improve the lot of their citizens, who are also unfortunately content to dwell in relative darkness (literally) as long as they can hear tall tales of mind-numbing poverty next door. Blame yourselves, dear Pakistanis.
Shows the hypocrisy of the world. India took Canadian foreign aid in the form of a nuclear reactor given for peaceful purposes and instead diverted its use to make weapons. India started the nuclear arms race in South Asia and forced Pakistan to develop a deterrent. Now this same India is being given access to US civilian nuclear technology. It doesn't take much to see that Indians will use this also to create weapons and escalate the nuclear weapons race in South Asia. The US should be punishing India for creating the nuclear arms race in South Asia and force it to focus on providing food, water. education and access to toilets for 500 million Indians who live in abject poverty. It's a scandal that India is the biggest buyer of weapons in the world when so many people sleep on the streets in poverty. The US and Western countries need to point out this obvious fact to Indian leaders who have delusions of world importance.
Membership of Pakistan to NSG and A Q Khan network are mutually exclusive.