ISLAMABAD: Pakistan government has hinted at the possibility of cooperation with India in the realm of nuclear safety, security and regulatory framework.
Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, while speaking at a daylong international conference ‘Assessing South Asia’s Nuclear Security’ on Thursday said: “Nuclear safety and security provide another avenue for cooperation between India and Pakistan. …. Both sides can agree on sharing of best practices, experience and expertise”.
The conference had been jointly organized by Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) and Atlantic Council, an American think tank. Pakistan and India have a working group on nuclear confidence building measures (CBMs), one of which is cooperation in case of nuclear accidents. The working group has, however, lately been dysfunctional because of suspension of bilateral dialogue. The two countries are also part of other international conventions and instruments on nuclear safety and security.
Mr Chaudhry thinks that India and Pakistan can cooperate on nuclear safety and security within the framework of those conventions. Speaking about other possible nuclear CBMs with India, the secretary pointed out that Pakistan had extensive experience on the establishment and functioning of an independent nuclear regulatory body. India, it needs to be recalled, lacks an independent regulatory agency. The foreign secretary further spoke about Pakistan’s application for membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group and recalled the merits and strengths of its case. He hoped that NSG members would uphold non-proliferation goals and objectives of strategic stability while considering membership cases.
Other experts participating in the conference looked at the various issues affecting strategic stability in South Asia – the growing conventional imbalance; the introduction of tactical nuclear weapons; nuclearization of Indian Ocean Region; Indian plans for ballistic missile defense (BMD) with a view to develop recommendations for policymakers. The Conference also looked at the future trends.
Experts agree that in the absence of an overarching restraint regime and institutionalized crisis management mechanisms the strategic environment in the region remains fragile.
Executive Director CISS Amb Ali Sarwar Naqvi, while introducing the conference theme, said India’s acquisition of advanced weapons system, along with sophisticated missile-defence systems, introduction of technologically advanced and sophisticated nuclear weapons, and provocative war fighting doctrines under a nuclear overhang can only make strategic stability more fragile.
He further pointed out that deepening Indo-US defence and strategic cooperation will disturb the strategic balance in the region and may trigger an arms competition in the region involving not only Pakistan and India but China also.
Director South Asia at Atlantic Council Mr Bharat Gopalaswamy said that though worst assumptions of western think tanks about Pakistan and India proved to be overblown, but it remained a fact that both countries have to deal with same set of challenges relating to nuclear stability, safety and security. Talking about nuclearization of Indian Ocean and its implication, Mr Zahir Kazmi, a nuclear expert, contended that the development would affect the security interests of all littoral states in addition to impacting the regional and global security.
Mr Kazmi also flagged safety concerns arising out of India’s naval nuclearization. Another nuclear expert Dr Adil Sultan, while speaking about Indian Cold Start Doctrine’s (CSD) influence on Pakistan’s decision to introduce battlefield nuclear weapons said Indians tried to exploit the ‘perceived’ gap below Pakistan’s nuclear threshold. —INP