Pakistan is ready to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) along with five other “have” states. However, failure to sign it will not affect the country’s nuclear program, according to Dr Ansar Parvez, chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).
Speaking at an international seminar on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons organized by the Center for Pakistan and Gulf Studies (CPGS) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation on Tuesday, Dr Parvez asked that although the India-US agreement was negotiated with commercial force, how many plants were built in India? He added that you should have deep relationships with the people you collaborate with and they should support you in your time of need.
In response to questions, he said a possible nuclear agreement between Pakistan and the US was more of a concern for the foreign ministry, but he did not expect it.
Earlier, a heated debate erupted after Dr. Peter R. Lavoy, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia-Pacific Security Affairs, and Mark Fitzpatrick, author of a new book on Pakistan’s nuclear program, shared views on nuclear security in Pakistan. The speakers also believed that Pakistan was facing nuclear apartheid and India would change its position on not being the first to use nuclear weapons if the Bharatiya Janata Party government came to power. There was also a sense that India refused to engage constructively with Pakistan on the nuclear issue, among other issues.
Mr Lavoy said now is the right time for a US-Pakistan nuclear deal, but it will not be easy as the single most troubling issue in the US is Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. In addition to fears of nuclear proliferation, there were also fears that Pakistan might again resort to using military or non-state actors to achieve its foreign policy goals in India and Afghanistan.
Published – May 7, 2014 8:53 pm EST.