U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be in New Delhi this weekend to celebrate a hard-fought nuclear deal that to its critics strikes at the heart of the global non-proliferation regime by allowing India access to nuclear technology despite its refusal to sign the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT) and give up a weapons programme.
China and Pakistan are not amused although both stepped aside as they watched an unstoppable Bush administration push the deal through the International Atomic Energy Agency and then the Nuclear Suppliers Group in one of its few foreign policy successes.
A commentary in the state-controlled Beijing Review says Pakistan has reason to worry about the deal and recalls a statement put out by the Pakistan Army last month that warned of negative implications for strategic stability in South Asia. It would have been better if the United States had considered a package approach for both India and Pakistan, which conducted its first nuclear weapon tests two weeks after India, the magazine said, quoting the Pakistan Army statement.
China’s own stand, it said, was that all countries are entitled to make peaceful use of nuclear energy and that bodies like the NSG must address the aspirations of all parties. But it described the India-U.S. deal as a turning point which in the long run would have have a profound impact on international non-proliferation efforts.
“Countries on the nuclear threshold might be tempted by the potential rewards of the Indian approach and pursue their nuclear weapon programs with renewed vigor,” it said. “This new perspective might also affect negotiations over the North Korean and Iranian nuclear issues. ”
Within hours of the U.S. Congress clearing the deal by an overwhelming vote, Pakistan’s prime minister was demanding a similar agreement for his country
“Pakistan will also now make efforts for a civil nuclear (deal) and they will have to accommodate us,” Yousaf Raza Gilani said.
And I could’t help thinking about Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s oft-repeated remark way back in the 1960s that Pakistan would eat grass if it had to in order to fund its own nuclear weapons should India go nuclear.
And that’s the way it turned out eventually with the foes developing nuclear weapons programmes that ended in the tests of 1998 that shook the world.
So is Pakistan in a position to embark on a similar project to develop its nuclear capabilities now that it sees its core national interests are again at threat from a nuclear India, backed ironically by its ally the United States?
Pakistan, says former foreign secretary Tanvir Ahmed Khan, needs a coherent strategy and maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent will clearly be a part of it especially if New Delhi now proceeds to build an oversized nuclear arsenal.
And is America’s new nuclear partnership with India going to add another complication to an already difficult engagement with Pakistan? Or will Pakistan, given the multiple pressures it faces, have to live this time with an India that has just won a seat on the nuclear high table ?
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James IV the ‘hole hearted’
- Posted by Indianwe’ve hit the ‘nail in the coffin’.
India needs to clarify and fully back it up what it really wants: Needs of nuclear energy is unchallenged but the open option of developing more nuclear arms is not. If intentions of increased energy availability is the goal, then it would make sense to sign NPT and clear the cobwebs.
- Posted by kanwal chopraOtherwise, India should not engage itself in another trust
breaking episode down the line.
I agree i visited Pakistan one, its a lovely beautiful advance country,They have good friendly people who love brits.They are very sociable and friendly.But i have seens indias always thinks they are 3rd bigger army they arepowerfull if so than why Pakistan Taught lessons to india where 4 time more causalities than Pakistan It means Pakis are better than Indis,
- Posted by TeryYou are right james i have also seen on TV that world bigger human right voilation is been happening in India,innocent kilings Cristians and Muslim,Eventhough its a state where one Gujrati Teared the abdomen of a women ,took out unborn child and burnt it, (Last Gujrat Riots)What the hell is it.Plus some of my indians freinds told me that our leaders start voilence among minories for their vote-bank(Gujrat specially).I have international reports about working womens rapes,assault,torture,racism (biggest racist country, which run from their hindu religion that do not touch these people and like that)Honor killing,and every nagetive element lies in india, i believe everyone know but instead a deal means future preparation for big fight with china or pakistan (More powerful states according to inernational statics).India should think for 2010+ era politics.I believe pakistan is good and advance country where media freedom is very good.They need international cooperation for fight against Taliban an Afgani mess of the world.
India is a similar friend which one iraq(sadam was).
Which afganistan(Taliban) was.
I study Internatonal politics in Essex University and i see more wars in future.
Regarding Pakistan they are suffering from problem of corrupt Goverments in last few years. But i see people have more better future in south asia than any other after china.No doubt they are worlds 7th best combat power.i see their SatNav on roads Technology like EU,Free Media,Freedom of speech, and flexible advance people. it can be a shining state if they get rid of Alqaida
and taliban on tribal areas (Afgahni mess on earth)
Actually India is a poor and distabalized counry.where fanatics and some hardliner hindus grow freely, to kill innocent cristian and tomulsims.No one asks them for their contribution.we have seen some documentries india is far more poor than pakistan.Poeple sleeps on the roads even on some major cities. At least this dealshuld not be given to indians because they can pose threat for innocent poeple.plus neighboring countries.No doubt they cant see towards china or pakistan. Beacuase they are far more advance in technology than indians.You can see pakistani weapons export to east europeans /arabians/srilankans and africans, and indians rely on russian and Israelians. which are the champion in human voilation in the world.
- Posted by James/LondonI have seen documentries about pakistan and india both so i think pakistan deserved the deal.beacaus ethey are advance in technology than pakistan even in kargil war they showed thir power to 4 times bigger india.
i am not supporting any country i believe literally America want to prepare poor india, for big fight with china on which india will get severe pain.
This is called international politics.what is happening now.Please i need reply from some literate not from uneducated poepl who dont know politics.
pakistan, once part of INDIA
its very sad that happned in past as well as happening now still the comman man in India try to percive the image of pak as a good neighbour, but because of these media and ploiticans had made mess out of it.
i don’t know what others opinion about this…?
Just pointing to others will not solve the individual problem, still what pak is doing is wrong and thats because of china!,,(where did this came from?) we should never trust china they have already stabbed with a knife when we offered friendship with them..
they are claiming the INDIAN PART (Sikkim) as their country what the hell is this…In ancient epics sikkim has been mentioned as Indrakil (Indrakil pravat) as described in Mahabharath shame on them…
And pak claiming kashmir belonged to them…
and i want to share..
An ingenious example of speech and politics occurred recently in the United Nations Assembly that made the world community smile.
A representative from India began: ‘Before beginning my talk I want to tell you something about Rishi Kashyap of Kashmir, after whom Kashmir is named.
When he struck a rock and it brought forth water, he thought, ‘What a good opportunity to have a bath.’
He removed his clothes, put them aside on the rock and entered the water.
When he got out and wanted to dress, his clothes had vanished. A Pakistani had stolen them.’
The Pakistani representative jumped up furiously and shouted, ‘What are you talking about? The Pakistanis weren’t there then.’
The Indian representative smiled and said, ‘And now that we have made that clear, I will begin my speech.’
And they say Kashmir belongs to them……………………………… ………..
and also there is one fact:
Kashmir is an Indian name. Its name is derived from the Nilata Purana (An ancient Indian text) which describes the valley’s origin which describes the Kashmir’s valley’s origin as a land that was obtained from water. ‘Ka’ literally means water and ’shimir’ is translated as ‘desiccated water’. Therefore Kashmir literally means ‘a land that has been desiccated by water’.
Kashmir is a scenic portion of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Its natural beauty and its abundance of splendid flora and fauna make it one of the most beautiful destinations of the world.
(CONTD….)
- Posted by chetanI’m surprised by the post of Ray! These non-proliferation warriors looked the other way when China gave the bomb to Pak in 1999, the AQ Khan story giving tech to Iran. They welcome N-bombs in fanatic (Pak) or totalitarian and tyrranical regime like China! These warriors are like zombies shouting obviously wrong and inaccurate slogans all the time to advance their own agenda to the detriment of all civilized nations. They NEED to do it to merely exist.
- Posted by KamalAaron Smith :
Humanitarian crisis?? hindus killing cristians in the east and hindus killing muslims in the west, I wonder what you would call that?
- Posted by Ammar[...] Source: Reuters [...]
- Posted by India-US celebrate nuclear deal;China, Pakistan ask questions - NaiTazi.comFirst of all, the Chinese want to hyphenate India and Pakistan together. Having failed in the effort (Pakistan-Afghanista is the in thing now), they are out to bring back the hyphenation.
Giving Pakis the nuclear keys is the worst thing that can happen. Pakis and the Chinese have already proliferated nuclear technology to some of the most repressive regimes….. Need one say more?
- Posted by BrijeshRay:
Mind your language here. And whatever you have said was highly inaccurate. India has fought 4 wars with Pakistan; in 1947-48, 1965, 1971 and 1999. Apart from the 1971 war, all of these wars was triggered by Pakistan. And India started the 1971 war because of the humanitarian crisis in erstwhile East Pakistan. If India was really an aggressor and an expansionist state, it would not have signed the Tashkent Declaration in 1965 even though it had an advantage over Pakistan.
And talking about the IAEA advancing US agenda, the deal was backed by many other nations too including Russia, Germany, France, UK and Australia. There was no major power which openly opposed this nuclear deal. So, you comment is a clear manipulation of facts to promote your agenda.
- Posted by Aaron SmithIn spite of all of Pakistan’s major problems and India’s well-known skepticism of Pakistanis’ competence, it has been demonstrated time and again that Pakistan will do whatever it has to do to maintain a semblance of basic defensive parity with India. By all accounts, Indians were surprised by Pakistan’s tit-for-tat nuclear tests within weeks after India did so in 1998. Again, on the delivery front, Pakistan surprised India a and the world by having not one but two missile programs and followed that up with demonstration of cruise missile capability and deployment. So, once again, it would be a folly if India and the world underestimate Pakistan’s resolve.
- Posted by Riaz HaqThe NPT itself is a bigoted treaty which the nuclear haves bullied the have-nots into accepting. India earlier had the principle of getting global disarmament, but since we all know how that worked out, it had to get into the nuclear high-table. Any self respecting country must do the same.
NPT should be disbanded and a global consensus must be developed where all countries are the same and no one has a veto or any other special rights.
It is easy for “left leaning nuclear ayatollahs” sitting in the developed world talking about new members of the nuclear club where at the same time being completely impotent to effect any change in their own countries.
Congratulations to India and US for at least getting the 2 democracies together.
- Posted by VicWhy don’t you people stop being so short sighted and playing the ‘better dead than red’ card (so cold war) and think a little deeper into the situation.
The concern is of the fallout (no pun intended) from the US-India deal and the impact it will have on all the other nations around the world seeking or extending their nuclear energy or weapons.
The internationally agreed nuclear rules are there for a purpose and if they are going to be ignored for purely political and economic reasons than it opens the floodgates for any other nation to pursue their own agenda. If it’s OK for the US and India to ignore or manipulate the accepted agreed rules than why shouldn’t any other country also ignore or manipulate those rules, now that a precedent has been set.
- Posted by VoodoAll the comments so far have come from mindless morons. This US-India deal is another irresponsible act by the US.
Providing India, a country which refuses to sign the NPT and which threatens its neighbours with Nuclear war, with access to Nuclear technology is bang out of order. It is hard evidence that the International Atomic Agency is an organisation that exists solely to advance the interests of the US. This while Bush rants on about North Korea and Iran.
Both India and the US should be disarmed as they are clearly aggressive and oppressive states that stand in the way of world peace and security. Each with long records of Civil and Human rights violations.
- Posted by RayMost Indians don’t care about Pakistan, except to the extent the Islamic nation encourages terrorism within our democracy. China is wary, and rightly so, because any authoritarian, communist gerontocracy that pays lip service to basic freedoms and human rights will be concerned by two powerful, responsible, and vibrant democracies aligning themselves together. India must recognize who its friends are, and must pledge closer ties with the US, UK, France/Germany and other members of the EU, Russia (our long standing reliable ally of 50 years), and of course Israel. While we must be pragmatic and recognize the economic and business realities behind the India-US Nuclear Agreement, India and Indians must also remember we are surrounded by hostile and/or undemocratic and unpredictable nations such as Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Burma, and now Moaist Nepal. We need the US as our ally, both economic and military.
- Posted by LalitI afraid that the door opening to nuclear proliferation is wider now, and dealings with North Korea and Iran on nuclear issues would be more difficult. A set back to world nuclear non-proliferation.
- Posted by Nina SI agree hole heartily will all the comments so far. You guys hit the head on the nail!
- Posted by James IVChina and Pakistan questioning this deal is like Britney Spears and Michael Jackson questioning someone else’s parenting abilities.
If there is a list of nuclear rogues, Pakistan and China would be numbers 1 and 2.
They can lump it.
- Posted by DarshanIndia is a vibrant democracy with a record of self restraint in transfer of Nuclear and other technology. India too has never invaded its neighbors. We vote and vote out parties. That is not the case with neighbors to the north west or the north easy.Military dictatorship and hard line communist leadership is the norm. India is surrounded by a fire ring of adversarial countries.
- Posted by NirmalIndia has the nuclear weapon capability. It needs civial niclear technology. I cannot see an issue if India had a few more nuclear heads than the current estimated 150.
Pakistan is a ship without a rudder or a captain and a mutinous crew. they should worry about their severe challenges at hand. They are being Talibanized and a terrorized Pakistan is not good for the neighborhood, especially India and the world.
What the heck ?? with what face can China and pakistan question the Indo-US nuke deal ?? Even if Iran and North Korea has a nuclear bomb made with secret smugling of Nuke bomb tech from pakistan’s A.Q khan, why is freakin china supplying missile technology capable of carrying nuke warheads to these countries ?? How can a irresponsible status less culprit countries like china and Pakistan question anybody ??
- Posted by Om