India opposes China’s nuclear reactor supply to Pakistan
India is all set out to oppose the Chinese attempts to supply two more reactors under so-called civil nuclear deal to Pakistan. Although China-Pakistan nuclear deal is not on the agenda of Nuclear Supply Group’s (NSG) meeting to be held in New Zealand next week, China is expected to make announcement to this effect during the NSG meeting.
Although India is not a member of the NSG, but it will use all diplomatic channels to oppose any such move, said sources in the ministry of external affairs (MEA).
China is putting all its might behind Pakistani deal, it is unlikely to get approval of the group as US has already expressed its apprehensions about the deal. China had already signed one deal with Pakistan in 2004 when it was not part of the NSG. The China-Pakistan nuclear rendezvous is not officially on the NSG agenda, but Beijing is likely to make a statement on its decision to supply two more nuclear reactors to Islamabad during the session. While the US has expressed its reluctance to back such a deal between China and Pakistan, and it is highly unlikely that Pakistan will be able to get an India-like exemption, Indian officials believe there is a chance of NSG countries coming together to let Beijing grandfather its latest deal to the nuclear pact with Pakistan before 2004, when China was not a member of NSG.
A senior official from the MEA said. “The 2004 deal was only for Chasmah II reactor and maybe some other research reactors. But since then China has not talked about supply of a new reactor to Pakistan. It’s only now, after India got a waiver for nuclear commerce, that this entirely new deal has cropped up,” he said. He also underlined, there is no question of drawing any parallel between India and Pakistan over the issue because of India’s immaculate non-proliferation record.
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