US Pakistan Nuclear Deal
.
A steady change is occurring in the US attitude towards Pakistan’s credentials on its nuclear front in order to seek latter’s cooperation on nuclear proliferation and terrorism. Obama administration is willing to consider offering a similar civilian nuclear deal to Pakistan akin to the one given to India. The shift in stance comes within less than a month of US saying no to any possibility of giving an atomic power plant or a civilian nuclear deal to Pakistan. The latest development is bound to raise diplomatic concerns within India and an even greater political commotion. However, does India really need to bother since there are so many factors which make the whole idea appear remotely impossible?
Firstly, while the US may choose to forgive Pakistan for the A Q Khan episode by stating that the notorious scientist acted on his own, the international non-proliferation community including the 44-member Nuclear Suppliers Group through which such deal will have to get past; will strongly oppose any such offering given Pakistan’s tarnished non-proliferation record.
Secondly, Pakistan is the hub of international terrorism and grave concerns have been raised time and again about the security of its already existing nuclear arsenal. Agreeing to civilian nuclear deal on top of that is the last thing international community would agree to in the current environment.
Thirdly, Pakistan is a bankrupt state. Its’ a country that cannot even buy its own weapons and instead uses American grants to fund most of its arms purchases. Pakistan simply lacks financial capability to buy or absorb any nuclear power reactor.
Even with India’s clean nuclear record the US-India deal itself remains to be fully implemented more than five years after it was first conceived, one can only imagine the time required US-Pak deal, if at all it has to come around one day.
More than anything else the signaled shift in US policy it seems is something meant to placate Pakistan in order to extract greater cooperation on non-proliferation and fighting terrorism within the country.526037
= = = = =
A steady change is occurring in the US attitude towards Pakistan’s credentials on its nuclear front in order to seek latter’s cooperation on nuclear proliferation and terrorism. Obama administration is willing to consider offering a similar civilian nuclear deal to Pakistan akin to the one given to India. The shift in stance comes within less than a month of US saying no to any possibility of giving an atomic power plant or a civilian nuclear deal to Pakistan. The latest development is bound to raise diplomatic concerns within India and an even greater political commotion. However, does India really need to bother since there are so many factors which make the whole idea appear remotely impossible?
Firstly, while the US may choose to forgive Pakistan for the A Q Khan episode by stating that the notorious scientist acted on his own, the international non-proliferation community including the 44-member Nuclear Suppliers Group through which such deal will have to get past; will strongly oppose any such offering given Pakistan’s tarnished non-proliferation record.
Secondly, Pakistan is the hub of international terrorism and grave concerns have been raised time and again about the security of its already existing nuclear arsenal. Agreeing to civilian nuclear deal on top of that is the last thing international community would agree to in the current environment.
Thirdly, Pakistan is a bankrupt state. Its’ a country that cannot even buy its own weapons and instead uses American grants to fund most of its arms purchases. Pakistan simply lacks financial capability to buy or absorb any nuclear power reactor.
Even with India’s clean nuclear record the US-India deal itself remains to be fully implemented more than five years after it was first conceived, one can only imagine the time required US-Pak deal, if at all it has to come around one day.
More than anything else the signaled shift in US policy it seems is something meant to placate Pakistan in order to extract greater cooperation on non-proliferation and fighting terrorism within the country.526037
= = = = =
