Pakistan will build two more nuclear reactors with Chinese assistance as part of its efforts to improve civil nuclear cooperation between two close allies, says a top official.
Pakistan will build two more nuclear reactors with Chinese assistance as part of its efforts to improve civil nuclear cooperation between two close allies, a top official said on Saturday.
HT Image
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
An agreement to this effect was signed in Beijing in the course of the first visit of the new President Asif Ali Zardari to China that concluded on Friday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters in Islamabad.
{{^usCountry}}{{/usCountry}}
Though a deal on the lines of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal with China, which the media had speculated was on the cards, proved elusive, the foreign minister ruled out that there was a move to conclude such a pact.
But he said that Beijing had spoken out against the "discriminatory nature" of that agreement.
China had also said that there should not be any discrimination against Pakistan, which should get a similar nuclear deal, he said.
Qureshi said the agreement provided for building two new reactors at the Chashma nuclear complex that would generate 680 MW of electricity.
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
{{^usCountry}}
He said progress had also been made during Zardari's visit on improving civil nuclear cooperation with Chin but did not elaborate.
{{/usCountry}}
{{#usCountry}}
He said progress had also been made during Zardari's visit on improving civil nuclear cooperation with Chin but did not elaborate.
{{/usCountry}}
The Foreign Minister parried questions on whether Pakistan and China would have to seek approval from the IAEA and the Nuclear Suppliers Group for the new plants, saying the two countries had a strategic partnership and had been cooperating in the civil nuclear field for a long time.
He said Pakistan is a responsible nation that is cognisant of its international obligations. Pakistan and China had cooperated in civil nuclear field under "difficult circumstances" in the past and would continue to do so in the future.
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.
Get the latest World News, breaking headlines and global updates from the US, UK, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia and other countries. Follow major international events on Hindustan Times.
Get the latest World News, breaking headlines and global updates from the US, UK, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia and other countries. Follow major international events on Hindustan Times.
