US must consider Pak track record before N-deal: Krishna

[Ghareeb_Da_Baal]

* External affairs minister says Washington needs to take holistic view of US-Pak nuclear deal
* BJP urges Manmohan Singh to convene all-party meeting to discuss possibility of US offer for Pakistan

By Iftikhar Gilani

NEW DELHI: Reports that the US is inking an India-type nuclear deal with Pakistan has shocked Indian political circles and the strategic community, with External Affairs Minister SM Krishna saying America needs to take a “holistic view ... the US should consider Pakistan’s track record before any deal”.
Earlier on Monday, government sources said India hoped the international community would strike “the right balance” in helping any country meet its energy needs while taking on board its track record on proliferation of nuclear technology.
The main opposition Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convene an all-party meeting ahead of a nuclear summit in Washington to discuss the possibility of a US nuclear deal offer for Pakistan. BJP spokesman Tarun Vijay described Pakistan as “an unreliable nuclear state vulnerable to nuclear pilferage by non-state actors”. He also called on Washington to institute a foolproof monitoring mechanism to assure that aide given to Islamabad “does not fall in the hands of terror groups working against India”.
“The US has a responsibility to provide India an assurance over tight monitoring of [the aide given] … to a state like Pakistan and provide regular reports to us,” he said.
The BJP spokesman told a press conference that the US administration had made no attempt “to allay our genuine concerns that these funds are often siphoned off for anti-India activities by terror groups … instead of India being given an assurance, highly disturbing news [has surfaced] that that Washington is keen to ink a civil nuclear deal [with Pakistan] similar to the one signed with India”.
He said it was, therefore, imperative for India, “surrounded by two hostile nuclear powers”, to demand that Washington assure New Delhi that aide for Pakistan “will not fall into the hands of terror groups working against us”.
“The neighbour with a nuke and being run by a number of state and non-state players is a potential threat to India’s security and regional peace. To strengthen it with billions on any pretext must necessarily raise our levels of concern,” said Tarun.
US Ambassador Timothy J Roemer refused comment on the reports that the US would offer Pakistan a civil nuclear deal.
Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Ministry sources said New Delhi was banking on Washington’s rejection of Islamabad’s demands in the past on the grounds of a “chequered non-proliferation record”. They said nuclear nations should stop any plans to offer Pakistan a deal on the basis of the country’s record.
About Pakistan’s appeal to the US for help in setting up nuclear power plants to overcome a power crisis, the sources warned of “the dangers in providing any nuclear help to a country that has a history of illegal nuclear trade and dubious sales of nuclear technology”.
“These were the specific reasons cited by the US in the past when Pakistan asked for a deal similar to the one signed with India,” they said, adding that India, therefore, hoped that Washington would act with caution while providing any nuclear assistance to Islamabad.
The sources said India was concerned by a possible shift in US policy, after US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson said in an interview her country was “beginning to have a discussion with the Pakistani government on the country’s desire to tap nuclear energy”.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[King Ashoka the Great]

Not required at this moment until the official comment comes out from US congress.

Although Pakistan is not going to get approval from NSG, its the biggest huddle taking in mind the nuclear proliferation done from Pakistan side..