'Indo-US nucear deal to upset non-proliferation'

Consensus view emerged at Indian Social Forum that Indo-US nuclear deal will upset the non-proliferation disarmament order, reports HT Correspondent.

The Indo-US nuclear deal will upset the non-proliferation disarmament order and usher in a potentially catastrophic situation in South Asia, while confirming the global dominance of the United States.

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This was the consensus view emerging at a workshop entitled "Imperialism, Militarisation and Nuclearisation - South Asia and the World".

Jointly organised by the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP) and the Pakistan Peace Coalition (PPC) during the ongoing Indian Social Forum (ISF) conclave, the panellists at the workshop included Dr Karamat Ali from Pakistan, Dr Fahim Hussain from Italy besides Shukla Sen and Achin Vanaik from India.

The nationality concept needs to be pulled down and the idea of a "shared sovereignty" should be aggressively pursued by South Asian nations, said Dr Karamat Ali - who also put in a strong case for a signing of a "no war pact" between countries in the region.

A confederation on the patterns of the European Union can be actualised and the first step towards this goal should be an agreement on the reduction of military budgets, Ali said. He referred to the Siachen issue as a "ridiculous dispute" between India and Pakistan.

In its aftermath, India's nuclear capabilities will grow phenomenally other South Asian nations might get inspired to take to the nuclear trajectory, he said.

Others who spoke included Dr Fahim Hussain and Shukla Sen.