Hyderabad, Feb 18: Seeking to permanently put to rest doubts regarding the illegal export of nuclear technology from Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha today clarified that the blackmarketing of nuclear weapons technology by a Pakistani scientist was not a bilateral issue as described in the 1972 Shimla agreement. ''It is not an Indo-Pak issue, please for god's sake and I am saying this with all the emphasis in my command,'' he reacted to repeated questions by newspersons in this regard here today.
Stating that ''we do not intend to give it a bilateral connotation,'' the minister said the country's concern was only about the flourishing blackmarketing trade of nuclear weapons technology.
India had sponsored a resolution in this regard in the United Nations and the same had been adopted, Mr Sinha said and added that the issue was a matter of international concern. ''Country after country has spoken about it, expressing concern.''
Even United States President George W Bush had come out with a seven-point action plan on the issue.
''It is everyone's concern that nuclear weapons should not fall into the hands of terrorists,'' Mr Sinha said, clarifying that there was no threat of terrorist possessing nuclear weapons at this stage. But, if the blackmarketing continues unchecked, terrorists would be in a position to acquire them.
On whether he suspected that terrorists operating out of Pakistan had acquired nuclear technology or weapons, he said ''we are not talking about suspicion, but only about the danger.''
Bureau Report