Maintaining that Pakistan is “pursuing strategic restraint and confidence building through dialogue” in south Asia (read India), Pakistan has made a strong pitch yet again for access to nuclear technology for peaceful uses on a non-discriminatory basis.
Accordingly, it has reiterated its demand for inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as well as other export control regimes. India’s neighbour has also said that this process should “guarantee security and stability in the region”. The desire for inclusion in the world’s leading non-proliferation body was voiced by Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at the dinner for world leaders participating in the Second Nuclear Security Summit here on Monday evening. In his remarks at the dinner, the Pakistan PM detailed the measures that he said his country has taken to ensure the safety of nuclear materials and facilities.
Like Pakistan, India is not a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) either. It’s refusal to ratify the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) have so far stalled its entry into the NSG. However, unlike Pakistan, India has been allowed to join the nuclear commerce mainstream. In addition, Islamabad has been seeking a civilian nuclear deal with the US, similar to the one it has with India. But Pakistan’s past track record of “leaking” sensitive nuke technology has not helped its cause.
The Pakistani PM’s contentions on nuke security notwithstanding, India already appears to have formulated a summit strategy to build pressure on countries like Pakistan that have inadequate security systems for their nuclear materials and facilities. India would like to “give an impetus to international cooperation for creating an international framwork for nuclear security” at the summit.
Sources said the summit is a platform that “provides a political impetus to strengthen various international legal instruments for nuke security”.
They added, “We need to create an international framework for nuke security”. India has decided to raise the pitch on not just security but safety.
India also plans to make stronger its systems so that its nuclear facilities are not “vulnerable” to “insiders” said Ravi B. Grover, principal adviser in the department of atomic energy who is part of the Indian delegation. For instance, it would like to make sure that employees working in a nuke plant have access to only a portion of it and not the entire plant.said that emphasis will also be given to the design of a nuclear plant to ensure its security.
Prime Manmohan Singh who “met the Pakistan PM” at the dinner as well as US President Barack Obama who “hugged him” will be speaking at the summit on Tuesday. He is expected to focus on the inter-face between nuclear safety and security.
India and other nations have often voiced expressed fears about the possibility of nuke materials falling into the hands of non-state actors in Pakistan. “Insider threats” and the lack of a proper nuclear command and control structure in Pakistan are other areas of concern. Mr Gilani sought to allay this fear too. “We are deploying Special Nuclear Material (SNM) portals at entry and exit points to detect, deter and prevent illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials,” said the Pakistan PM.
Further, PM Gilani said, “We have been implementing our Nuclear Safety Action plan in cooperation with the IAEA.”