Government soon to unveil text of the NSG waiver

Amid allegations by the Left parties that the NSG waiver granted to India was “neither clean nor unconditional”, the government says it will soon unveil the text of the waiver.

Amid allegations by the Left parties that the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) waiver granted to India was “neither clean nor unconditional”, the government Monday said it will soon unveil the text of the waiver.

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"The text that has appeared in the media is not accurate," external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said. “We would make the text available as soon as it is issued by the NSG in Vienna,” he added.

Criticising the waiver granted by the 45-nation NSG to India Saturday as a blow to non-proliferation regime, the US-based Arms Control Association, an influential non-proliferation lobby, Sunday posted on its website what it claimed to be the text of the waiver.

This text, titled “Statement on civil nuclear cooperation with India”, does not mention the date on which the text was issued. However, it appears like the draft which was slightly amended at the last minute Friday night to accommodate concerns of the last remaining sceptics in the nuclear cartel in the nuclear deal.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has, however, attacked the government for “deliberate misinformation” on the waiver.

“The NSG waiver opening the doors to nuclear trade for India after a three-day-long meeting is neither clean nor unconditional and reflects the continuous concessions that India has made on this issue,” the CPI-M politburo said in a statement Sunday titled “On NSG Waiver: Another Surrender”.