Nukes ‘flowing’ into neighbourhood worry Natwar

In order to address the ‘‘emerging proliferation challenges’’ in an effective manner, he said, the international community should ‘‘review and re-evaluate’’ existing frameworks with a view to adapting these to ‘‘current political realities’’.

‘‘The non-proliferation order is coming under increasing stress both on account of the failure to make any significant progress towards nuclear disarmament as well as the failure to prevent clandestine proliferation by members of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as well as some who are outside it,’’ Singh said while inaugurating a seminar on ‘‘Emerging Nuclear Proliferation Challenges’’, organised by IDSA and Pugwash-India. He highlighted the ‘‘infirmities’’ of the existing non-proliferation order in checking the clandestine spread of nuclear weapons that poses a threat to India.

Although India is a not a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Singh said its conduct has been ‘‘consistent’’ with the key provisions of the treaty — such as going by the bar on transfer of nuclear weapons to any country. ‘‘This is in contrast to the poor record of nuclear weapon states who have been active collaborators in, or silent spectators to, clandestine proliferation, including export of nuclear weapon components and technology,’’ he said.

Singh said the response of the international community to address nuclear proliferation challenges has at best been ‘‘inadequate’’ or at worst ‘‘permissive’’ so far. He pointed out that India has an abiding interest in preventing WMD proliferation, not just for its own security, but for world peace and called for global nuclear disarmament in a time-bound manner.

Ahead of the NPT review meeting, due in just over a month, Singh asked the nuclear weapon states to take concrete action and ‘‘not articulate mere rhetoric’’ in making their commitment towards ‘‘irreversible and verifiable cuts’’ in their nuclear arsenals.

Singh felt that the tendency of the international community so far has been to work on an ‘‘exclusivist approach’’ which has ‘‘not succeeded in stopping, nor in punishing’’ those who are guilty of proliferation. The nuclear weapon states should take ‘‘visible steps’’ to reduce the salience of nuclear weapons in their strategic calculus.