Search the Internet          Tips

Delhi is buried in the past: Sattar

Aziz Haniffa
India Abroad Correspondent in Washington

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar has said that any nuclear non-proliferation rapprochement with India in terms of confidence-building measures is impossible because New Delhi "is buried in the past".

Sattar, who delivered the keynote address at the Carnegie International Non-proliferation Conference attended by nearly 400 arms control and disarmament specialists from across the globe, ridiculed India's declaration of no-first-use of nuclear weapons, calling it a "recipe for war".

Both in his speech and in the brief question-answer session that followed, Sattar took hefty swipes at India's 'intransigence' in not responding to any of Pakistan's proposals for a bilateral non-proliferation agreement.

Sattar, who is in Washington to meet US Secretary of State Colin Powell and other senior Bush administration officials, including National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, complained bitterly against the "multiple layers of sanctions" imposed against Pakistan by the United States.

He indicated that Pakistan stood ready to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and also help to "promote a consensus" on the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty negotiations in Geneva.

"Such universal and non-discriminatory frameworks provide the best hope for limiting nuclear arsenals, especially in South Asia," he said.

"We have decided and declared that just as Pakistan was not the first to conduct nuclear tests, we will not be the first to resume tests. In effect, Pakistan is observing the CTBT in anticipation of it coming into force."

Sattar, who met Richard Haass, director of policy planning at the state department at a breakfast hosted by Pakistan's Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, said: "India is buried deep in the past. But India is welcome to have its own vision and we have no problems with it."

He argued that just because "we have not been able to negotiate bilateral restrictions and restraints, we should not make it an excuse" for doing nothing.

"Difficulties and delays in negotiating limitation measures cannot, however, relieve leaders of the obligation they owe to the world, and indeed to their own people, to put the genie in chains, if not back into the bottle."

Sattar went on to list the measures Pakistan has taken 'unilaterally' to "strengthen custodial controls against risks of leakage of technology and accidental or unauthorised launch".

"We have over the last two years upgraded our command and control mechanisms. A National Command Authority, chaired by the head of the government, provides policy direction, oversees development and employment of assets and approves measures to ensure custodial safety and complete institutional control over fissile materials and sensitive technology."

Sattar bemoaned that the sanctions against Pakistan triggered in October 1990, "no sooner were the Soviet forces out of Afghanistan, continue to haunt Pakistan to this day".

He acknowledged that the US "has no legal obligation to provide economic assistance or sell military equipment to Pakistan. But friends have a right at least to expect non-discrimination."

On the forthcoming summit between Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, Sattar said it was unlikely that any non-proliferation matters would be discussed and predicted that the focus would be entirely on Kashmir, which he described as the "core issue".

Indo-Pak Summit: The Entire Coverage

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report