Pakistan

Nuke talk: Pakistan is being ‘discriminated’ against

Speakers highlight the negative attitude of the international community towards Pakistan’s status as a nuclear...

Azam Khan May 29, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

The two South Asian nuclear states need to diffuse tensions for smoother relations, said former ambassador Tariq Osman Hyder on Saturday. He added there should not be an arms race in the region.

He was speaking at a seminar on “The Discriminatory Approach Towards Nuclear Proliferation: Fallout for Pakistan”, organised by Strategic Technology Resources (STR), a research institute.

The former ambassador also analysed the US’s discriminatory role towards Pakistan.

STR Chief Executive Officer Dr Shireen Mazari said the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signifies the discriminatory attitude of the US and its allies. Criticising America for their propaganda against Pakistan’s nukes, she said the national nuclear establishment is very strong.

Pakistan has no objection over India’s membership in the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG), Australia Group, (AG) or the Wassenaar Arrangement but the criteria should not be discriminatory such as NPT’s Article VI, she added.

She explained this particular article’s claim to disarming the five nuclear states is merely a “good faith” demand. It is unlike the restrictions posed on non-nuclear states regarding the import of uranium or dual use technology, she said.

Speaking on Pakistan’s exclusion from NSG, she said the fallout for Pakistan is grave on all counts especially since India has been given access to state-of-the-art nuclear and dual use technologies by the group.

This will bolster India’s nuclear weapons development while Pakistan would be continuously denied access and penalised if caught developing similar technologies.

NSG’s membership will also allow India to be part of a supplier cartel that works on the unanimity principle. Hence India can put impediments even if other NSG members decide to issue waivers in favour of Pakistan, she added.

There is also a Strategic Export Control Division at Pakistan’s Foreign Office and an Oversight Board for this division’s functioning. Yet all these efforts are sidelines by the international community in their “passion” for labelling Pakistan as a dangerous nuclear state, she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (22)

Chacha | 13 years ago | Reply @AMJAD: OK to summarize your arguments, the illegal sellers of tech were equally responsible. That makes the whole country responsible ? Has Pakistan admitted that the technology was bought (legally or illegally) ?. Last time I checked Pakistan claimed that the tech was home grown - some minor components here and there were purchased. So either, the tech was illegally bought (and he who illegally buys will one day illegally sell - that is what AQ Khan did) or Pakistan is the one responsible. Even if one were to assume the western power sold to Pakistan, well at that time Pakistan was (and is not currently) a rouge state under UN sanctions. Both Iran and LIbya were under UN sanctions. And pakistan sold to them.

AMJAD | 13 years ago | Reply @ Response to Dumbguy I appreciate your logical argument on the subject. You are absolutely right that at the end of the basis of all the international dealings are the self interests of a nation. Here I just have to add two points to put the historic perspective right. Firstly the US never moved its seventh fleet in 1971 Indo-Pakistan war. It was a bluff just to give some comfort to the Government of Pakistan which had been banking upon US for assistance against India. Since then many writers have worked on this subject but they have not found any evidence proving that the maneuvers of US 7th had anything to do with the war going on in the subcontinent. My second point is regarding India’s recent defense and nuclear plant deals. They have very rightly decided not to buy any equipment from US except some minor items of peripheral significance. I think they have learnt the right lesson from Pakistan’s experience. I am sure they hated to be dependent and also face the usual arm twisting at the hands of a headless monster which is a super power too. Like a trigger happy policeman, US is also too willing to snap sanctions on any nation if at any time they feel that it is reluctant to dance to their tune. India has very cleverly extracted the nuclear deal and US has moved into their trap hoping to get billions of dollars’ business for their companies. But in the end game they have got nothing. For this massive disappointment they should only blame their reputation of being an unreliable partner.

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AMJAD | 13 years ago | Reply @ Response to chacha My dear Chacha jee, your response is hasty and quite in line with the old Indian tradition of being anti Pakistan, without even sparing a few seconds to register the essence of my point of view. My position on this issue is that Pakistan does not have the requisite industrial ability to manufacture the components of a uranium enrichment plant. All these components are being manufactured in various western countries who are responsible for their smuggling. In their bid to make wind fall profits various hi-tech companies in the western countries indulge in illegal sales to those countries who can afford to pay them many times more than the actual price. So, how come any one can blame Pakistan and not the western countries who are the actual culprits. As for as your assertion about today’s restrictions on admission in western universities is concerned, you are absolutely right but I had talked about the days when there was no restriction on admissions and no restrictions even on sale of technology. For knowledge of nuclear physics most of the countries are not totally dependant on the western countries. They have many other sources available to them in host of other countries. In the end, meray piyaray chacha, I would request you to be objective and not vindictive in your comments.

DumbGuy | 13 years ago | Reply Looking at the comments above: ppl seems to think as if USA is just one person and has/should have emotional attachments to Pakistan and India. No one is realizing that it is the same USA that had sent its nuclear fleet to bomb India in 1971 that is today offering the nuclear deal to India. Nations are not humans to have permanent friends and enemies. All the international relations are like business deals with profit and losses attached to them. USA is not doing any favor to India buy offering the deal. It had just realized that Russia is anyway building Nuclear plants in India and making profit from it, economy in USA needs a boost. By keeping India away USA felt like loosing the business that is why it is offering the deal. If tomorrow Pakistan improves economy and has the capacity to spend few billions, USA will be at its door steps with the same offer. How many of you think, China building nuclear plants in Pakistan as a charity work? How many of you think USA is giving AID to Pakistan? I think USA will feed Pakistan as long as it needs Pakistan army. The day it does not need the army there won't be any feeding. BTW I did not use the term USA will abandon Pakistan, because I don't see USA as father/mother of Pakistan. It is just business, as long as there is a job there is pay simple. Indians understood this, that is why when they canceled USA made fighter jets, they are buying C17s just keep the diplomatic relations getting stronger (Look how much current USA administration hyped the C17s purchase by India in the media, saying it will save 25000 jobs etc). Next time when India needs something it can expect the return from US Administration. Don't you notice why next probable IMF chief is in India, trying to get the support of India. What lever does India have against Frans MMRCA deal $20 bln, so Frans can not ignore India like it used do before. I think Pakistan should stop crying like a baby and start working to become self sufficient.

Chacha | 13 years ago | Reply @AMJAD: This is grossly unfair. It is like a thief blaming a rich man saying that the rich man has gold lying around, theft is but natural and obvoius. The owner of gold is the owner of the sin, not the person who does the stealing. If mere possession of technology is sufficient to be made resposnible for proliferation, then Pakistan now possesses the technology. How then would it be a responsible nuclear state. On what basis do you refer to the western countries as irresponsible and Pakistan as not. And regardng universities, I live in a certain european country where the nuclear physics department of the university is in a seperate building. People cannot just go in and out. And when certain people from a certain country requested admission to the deparment and were refused - they complianed of racism, anti islam and hurled abuse ! AQ Khan sold technology to Iran and Libya. And he went away almost scott free. This is proliferation. Owning up to past misdemenours is the first step to atoning for them.

AMJAD | 13 years ago | Reply @Chacha: There is too much exaggeration in what US and India have been saying about the so called nuclear proliferation by Pakistan. Obviously this propaganda is aimed at maligning the Army, Government of Pakistan and its nuclear programme. Ordinarily Pakistan should have been recognized as a nuclear state but the proliferation propaganda has provided an excuse to US for not treating Pakistan at par with India. Pakistan definitely has a good team of scientists but it does not have the technology. Technical knowledge can be acquired by any one who studies science in the universities but every country cannot possess the requisite nuclear technology for making nuclear weapons. So the important point which needs to be understood is that it is not Pakistan which is responsible for proliferation but those advanced countries who have the technology are responsible for nuclear proliferation.Here my aim is not to indulge in any blame game. But we should also be able to sift the truth from the sea of propaganda. Pakistan is very very conscious about its responsibilities as a nuclear state. Pakistan has also imposed toughest and fairly rigid protective measures to safe guard its nuclear know- how. These measures can be compared with the security system of the most advanced countries in the world.

Chacha | 13 years ago | Reply @Farrah Ali: But you said it yourself - "they were convicted". In Pakistan they are pardoned. Ergo in pakistan proliferation is not a crime and can be carried out with impunity provided the spoils and earnings of proliferation are shared with the generals. That is why Pakistan will never get the nuclear deal as they will sell the tech to North Korea or Saudi (remeber that the Saudi crown prince visited Pakistan within one week of the tests and was given a tour of Kahuta - also recall his words ).

Ba Ha | 13 years ago | Reply Considering what the Baba-a-nuke said on "Yaum a Take Beer". It cost 10 million to start and ends at 20 million a year to make a nuke. It would be foolish to assume Iran does not have one. Iran is 10 times richer than Pakistan and twice as big.

shahajahan | 13 years ago | Reply People of Pakistan want to live in a welfair State.What we require is a bright and prosperous future for us and our next generation. We require unity amoung ourselves. We should be a powerful democratic country.We do not require Military Rule or any dictetor. The main object of Pakistan should be a really self supporting non violent state. We require best schools and colleges for education..We have to concentrate on solid base for industry, employment for everyone,pension or financial support for old, poor, and unsupported familes. Investments, innovation ,production,best management, are the needs of the hour.We donot require only strong military and nuclear power.corruption and jihad are real enemies of Pakistan. We have to look to the priorities of our people.We have to unite and try to do good things instead of revange, mistrust,wars,and training terorists.

Unknown | 13 years ago | Reply Discriminated against? Be happy that pakistan was not attacked by NATO so far, directly. The reason for this is , in the past, the west mistakenly allowed you guys to have nukes. They are paying the price for it now, when pakistan has become breeding ground for terrorists. But you still expect them to do nuclear deal for you? Amazing!

rameez | 13 years ago | Reply @Farrah Ali: yes you know but the situation is not constant in pakistan. today they are safe tomorrow you dont know.. our government's foothold is not strong.. they are very much new.. it has been just a few years since musharraf has left you know.. democracy is very much new to us again and army leadership is not constant.. a superior or inferior can gather support and do a musharraf again.. and who knows what his policies would be? to keep nukes safe or use them as soon as possible? govt needs to get stronger than army and we need mentally stable political parties who the world thinks the can rely on... it takes lot of time.. its not easy ..india has achieved that status after 50 years of democracy..

Mansoor | 13 years ago | Reply Some Questions needs to be answered. Q1. Pakistan is not the first NUKE Country . Who sold Pakistan the Nuke?. Q2. USA and Nato countries attacked Iraq in the name of chemical weapons who don’t know this? Q3. USA and NATO doing genocide of Muslim in the name of fake terrorist who killed more innocent ppl Al Qaida or NATO USA ?.

Anish Khalil | 13 years ago | Reply Pakistan has done more than any country in fighting the war against terror to remind yu ppl this wasnt our war yet we fought it for our allies for our frnds to protect the west and this is how pakistan is repayed? by being deemed a terrorist ? may i remind yu people that pakistan has sacrifiiced more than any country in this world has to fight a war on terror for what so our efforts can be ridiculed? our millitary is one the strongest in the world and there is no doubt that are nuclear arsenal is safe thank you for yur valid concerns world now shut up and move along.

Farrah Ali | 13 years ago | Reply @Thinking: Also, a couple in the US were very recently convited of selling nuclear secrets to Iran. Don't you remember any of these facts? You have selective amnesia.

Farrah Ali | 13 years ago | Reply @Thinking: But the International Body on Atomic Energy, recently concluded a report (about two months ago) saying that Pakistan's nuclear sites were amoungst the most protected of any nuclear state.

vijaygkg | 13 years ago | Reply @AMJAD: I felt sorry for you,raving like that. Its all about International safety,not discrimination or whatever.Pakistan is an islamic supremacist state,and as such,it poses a severe danger to the entire world.It is willing to use its nuclear arms,and has the fastest growing nuke program-for what? The taliban run vast parts of it,the Army is infested with taliban sympathizers.15% of the pakistani population believe that suicide attacks are defensible. Pakistan must be denuclearized. Let china give pak a nuclear guarantee.Let china protect pak,let pak turn over all their nukes to china.No one will have any objection.

Cautious | 13 years ago | Reply Seems like someone conveniently forget that Pakistan sold nuke technology to N Korea, Libya, and Iran -- so stick that discrimination nonsense in your pipe.

Shahrukh | 13 years ago | Reply Strong has always deprived the weak but as long as we stand united,no power on earth can deprive us from our rights.

riversand | 13 years ago | Reply The one-sided approach to India-Pakistan situation, the silence of the International community on Kashmir, and the favour to India with the NSG group, all point to one end: suppression of the aspirations of Pakistan and Kashmir. It relates to no one if there is turmoil in Pakistan, it needs to ascertain who is responsible for it and who is encouraging it: clearly it is the colonial Britain and the avaricious shoulder monkey India and the zionist, Israel.

AMJAD | 13 years ago | Reply American policies with respect to Pakistan have always been discriminatory, there is no doubt about this fact in any Pakistani's mind. But the story does not end at that. The US can never reconcile with the reality of Pakistan being a nuclear state. Whatever they may say, our oftenly expressed fears about US secret plans to take out Pakistan's nukes on one pretext or the other are genuine and have many reasons to believe this narrative. If one has to believe what John Kerry had recently declared in Islamabad then in my opinion there is no need for him to give any assurance in the form of a certificate written with his blood. Instead the US should recognize Pakistan as a nuclear state. They will never do this because all their verbal assurances are a planned cover up for their covert plans to take out Pakistan's nukes. The US claims to have long term strategic partnership with Pakistan which is a blatant lie. As a matter of fact they have a wide ranging strategic partnership with India and that too at the cost of Pakistan's very vital security and regional political interests. US wants India to be the regional power having permanent membership of UN Security Council and this may not be possible till such time Pakistan possesses the potent nuclear capability.

J Oberoi | 13 years ago | Reply Pakistanis need a reality check. Do they even know where their nation stands today? And they have the temerity to compare themselves with viable, responsible nations !!

Thinking | 13 years ago | Reply I don't see why there is so much surprise. The world recognizes India's nuclear program is well managed and responsible while AQ Khan and his ilk are seen as corrupt and willing to sell secrets. Why should the world be expected to treat Pakistan the same way as other countries when Pakistan doesn't show the same respect to the rest of the world and continues to play a double game of supporting terrorists?

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