NSG waiver, Indo-US nuclear deal disturbed stability: Pakistan

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chowdhary said the waiver by the NSG created an opportunity for India to heavily increase its fissile material stocks.

Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday alleged that the Nuclear Supplier Group's "discriminatory waiver" to India and the Indo-US nuclear deal have allowed it to increase its fissile material and disturb the strategic stability in South Asia.

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chowdhary said the waiver by the NSG, a 48-member grouping established 40 years ago to ensure that civilian trade in nuclear materials is not diverted for military purposes, created an opportunity for India to heavily increase its fissile material stocks.

"Strategic stability in South Asia has been negatively impacted by Indo-US nuclear deal and the discriminatory waiver granted to India by the NSG," he said at a seminar organised by Institute of Strategic Studies here.

Chaudhry demanded an NSG membership for Pakistan in line with a non-discriminatory uniform and criteria based approach, also needed to meet the country's enormous energy needs.

"Pakistan is a peace loving country which was compelled to acquire nuclear deterrence in the face of grave threat to the country's national security," he claimed.

Pakistan's nuclear programme was based on the principle of keeping peace in the region and that the country was not part of any regional arms race, he said.

The foreign secretary said Pakistan's civilian nuclear facilities were working under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

Pakistan has often rued the NSG waiver to India, claiming that it negatively impacts the regional security. At the same time, it is also trying to convince the US for a deal similar to the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal signed in 2008.

If India is admitted to the NSG, it would become the only member that has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty, a 189-nation treaty which aims to prevent nation-states from acquiring nuclear weapons.