But exactly how good these efforts have been will be put to its sternest test later this month when 48 members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) decide on whether to grant India a permanent entry into this elite club. Both Pakistan and India have applied for membership of the NSG and it is to be seen whether members stick to principles or succumb to American pressure and persuasion on June 20 when the issue of membership is to be taken up. “The NSG is an important part of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime which is based on the cornerstone of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)”, the statement said. She said that India had taken proactive measures to strengthen itself globally in the nuclear arena and it was relying heavily on the U.S. for its entry into the NSG.
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In the meeting, China did not openly oppose India’s membership directly but linked it to signing of NPT. She said that it would be a major setback for Pakistan if India gets the NSG membership. Beijing is claiming that a “compulsory” requirement for NSG membership is that “the NSG members must be signatories to the NPT”.
Reports from Vienna had it that with the United States pushing its case, India’s bid for membership of the elite 48-member grouping has received positive indications from most of the member countries but China was still playing the spoiler by persisting with its opposition.
Among the other unconvinced countries are Turkey, Kazakhstan and Ireland, while Mexico and Switzerland have switched over to support India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to these countries. At the same time, India’s credentials as a credible nuclear nation have already enabled it to trade in nuclear items following the removal of waivers by US, after clinching the Indo-US nuclear deal during last phase of UPA-1 government. The US has a policy that members that are not recognized nuclear-weapon states – like India must eliminate or forgo ballistic missiles able to deliver a 500kg payload at least 300km.
India has nuclear weapons and has never signed the treaty.
“We don’t want any nuclear arms race in the region”. The truth is that India, mired in domestic debates over liability for nuclear accidents, has been slow to capitalise on the opportunities the exemption opened up.
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“The India-US equation has changed since 2008; Pakistan is also in the scene as an applicant; and China has made its opposition clear”. “The only one thread which the NDA-BJP Government and the Prime Minister have been taking forth is the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Energy Pact which was incubated and finally consummated during the UPA government”, said Tewari.
