The National Command Authority (NCA) of Pakistan has warned that the US-India Civil Nuclear Energy Deal, which would enable India to produce significant quantities of fissile material and nuclear weapons from un-safeguarded nuclear reactors, may ignite an arms race and have implications on strategic stability in South Asia. In what could be described as an indirect criticism of the discriminatory US policy in favour of India, the NCA, which held its first meeting after the US-India agreement, observed: “The objective of strategic stability in South Asia and the global non-proliferation regime would have been better served if the United States had considered a package approach for Pakistan and India, the two non-NPT nuclear weapons states, with a view to preventing a nuclear arms race in the region and promoting restraints while ensuring that the legitimate needs of both countries for civil nuclear power generation are met.”The authority is responsible for policy formulation and exercises employment and development control over all strategic nuclear forces and strategic organisations. It was formed in February 2000, pursuant to a decision of the National Security Council (NSC).The meeting held at the strategic planning division was presided over by Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf and attended by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat, the services chiefs, senior scientists and other civil and military officials.The participants said while continuing to act with responsibility in maintaining a credible minimum deterrence and avoiding an arms race, Pakistan would neither be oblivious to its security requirements, nor to the needs of its economic development which demanded growth in the energy sector.The meeting decided to vigorously pursue the plans for civil nuclear power generation to meet the growing energy demands and ensure consistent economic growth.The meeting reviewed Pakistan’s objectives and plans for civil nuclear power generation under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, which is part of the overall energy strategy to meet the requirements of economic growth in the country. It decided to pursue the objective on a priority basis, especially in view of the increasing oil prices.According to a press release issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the NCA reiterated Pakistan’s position that the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group should evolve a criteria-based approach to enable Pakistan to access civil nuclear energy under IAEA safeguards to meet its growing energy requirements. Pakistan had always fulfilled all its international IAEA safeguard requirements for its nuclear power reactors, and it was ready to accept innovative bilateral and multilateral approaches for establishment of power plants under appropriate safeguards, including nuclear power parks. The NCA expressed satisfaction at the current state of Pakistan’s strategic deterrence and expressed firm resolve to meet the requirements of future credible minimum deterrence. Govt need not put n-deal through House: SCNEW DELHI: Observing that the country was not lacking in "proper advice", the Supreme Court on Friday declined to give any direction that the proposed agreement on Indo-US civilian nuclear deal must be approved by Parliament. "It (nuclear deal) is not a minor but a serious matter and the country is not lacking in proper advice .," a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said. "We cannot give a direction that it (agreement) has to be put before Parliament for approval," the Bench said while allowing a senior advocate P S Mishra to withdraw his petition seeking the direction. The court said Government must have taken the advice of several scientists and disagreed with the petitioners that many suggestions were ignored.
