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'Indo-US nuke deal would threaten regional stability'
Islamabad, Aug. 3 (PTI): Pakistan on Thursday cautioned that a civilian nuclear agreement between India and the U.S would threaten regional stability, saying it would allow New Delhi to produce more atomic bombs.
Islamabad also said the strategic stability in South Asia and the global non-proliferation regime would have been better served if the US had considered a "package approach" for Pakistan and India to prevent a nuclear arms race in the region.
The caution by Pakistan came at a meeting of the National Command Authority(NCA) presided by President Pervez Musharraf. The Indo-US deal was among the issues discussed by the NCA which is a committee of top military and government officials and scientists that controls Pakistan's nuclear and missile programme.
"The NCA noted that the US-India nuclear agreement would have implications on strategic stability as it would enable India to produce significant quantities of fissile materal and nuclear weapons from unsafeguarded nuclear reactors," a statement issued by the Defence ministry at the end of the hurriedly called meeting said.
The NCA also voiced determination to maintain what it called "credible nuclear deterrence."
The statement that a package approach by the U.S would promote restraint between the two non-NPT nuclear weapons besides preventing a nuclear arms race "while ensuring that the legitimate needs of both countries for civil nuclear power generation are met."
This is the first time that the NCA has met after India and the U.S finalised a draft agreement to operationalise the nuke deal.
Pakistan's persistent appeals for hacing a civilian nuclear deal with the U.S on the lines it had with India were rejected by Washington saying the case of two countries were different, especially in the context of disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist A Q Khan's clandestine proliferation activities.
The NCA expressed satisfaction at the current state of Pakistan's strategic deterrence and expressed firm resolve to meet the requirements of "future credible minimum deterrence."
In an interesting observation however the NCA said "while continuing to act with responsibility in maintaining credible minimum deterrence and avoiding an arms race, Pakistan will neither be oblivious to its security requirements, nor to the needs of its economic development which demand growth in the energy sector."
The NCA appealed to Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to "evolve a criteria based approach to enable Pakistan to access civil nuclear energy under IAEA safeguards to meet its growing energy requirements."
Pakistan had always fulfilled all its international IAEA safeguard requirements for its nuclear power reactors, and was ready to accept innovative bilateral and multilateral approaches for establishment of power plants under appropriate safeguards, including nuclear power parks," it said.
The meeting reviewed Pakistan's objective and plans for civil nuclear power generation under IAEA safeguards which is part of the overall energy strategy to meet the requirements of economic growth in the country.
This objective will be pursued on a priority basis especially in view of the increasing oil prices, it said.
The NCA reviewed the current status of negotiations on disarmament issues in the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, including regarding the proposed FMCT, (Fissile Material Control Treaty.
The NCA also reiterated Pakistan's position in favour of a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty, taking into account the security concerns of all states.
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