With India making a strong attempt at entering the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Pakistan is leaving no stone unturned to spoil its pitch through demands for “parity”.
India and Pakistan, both non-signatories of the non-proliferation treaty (NPT), have applied for membership to the 48-country club that deals with trade in fissile materials and nuclear technology.
A consultative meeting of the group at Vienna on November 11 failed to make any headway on the issue of accepting new members.
Pakistan has reportedly told many NSG countries that a no-testing pact with India is necessary to strengthen non-proliferation measures in South Asia.
Pakistan claims that such an agreement would promote “restraint” in South Asia and be consistent with the objectives of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
The CTBT is a multilateral treaty that bans all nuclear explosions, whether it’s for civilian or military purposes, in all environments.
However, it is yet to come into force.
After the 1998 nuclear test at Pokhran, Pakistan had proposed a simultaneous adherence of CTBT with India — something that New Delhi ignored.
It has been using the idea of the no-test pact as a lobbying tool to bat for a “non-discriminatory” approach in allowing new members into the NSG.
{{/usCountry}}It has been using the idea of the no-test pact as a lobbying tool to bat for a “non-discriminatory” approach in allowing new members into the NSG.
{{/usCountry}}In August, Pakistan offered to sign a no-testing pact with India on two occasions. However, no formal reaction came from the Indian end. “Pakistan’s nuclear proliferation record is dubious, at best. This is an effort to seek parity with India,” said an Indian source.
At present, India is engaging with China — Pakistan’s all-weather ally — in an attempt to gain NSG membership. Indian officials say its nuclear pact with Japan is a good example of its nuclear non-proliferation credentials. India is only the non-NPT country with which Japan has signed such an agreement.