Bravo India: Operation "Demolish Pakistan"

#1 Monday, October 24, 2005

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Stepping up a campaign to project its record as a responsible nuclear state, India urged global powers on Monday not to gloss over rival Pakistan's role in encouraging Iran's controversial atomic programme.

New Delhi, hoping to be officially recognised soon as the world's sixth atomic power, also said its proliferation record was much better than some recognised nuclear nations and urged the world to partner India and not target it.

The comments by Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran were the first by New Delhi to strongly target Pakistan's alleged role as a nuclear proliferator.

It comes amid hectic efforts by India and the United States to push a controversial civil nuclear agreement.

"The international community must focus not merely on recipient states but on supplier states as well," Saran said, referring to the transfer of prohibited nuclear supplies.

"Otherwise our global non-proliferation effort would be undermined by charges of motivated selectivity and discrimination," he said in a lecture on non-proliferation.

Saran said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should clarify the role of disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who admitted last year to leaking nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

"We see no reason why there should be an insistence on personal interviews with Iranian scientists but an exception granted to a man who has been accused of running a 'global nuclear Wal-Mart'."

PARTNER OR TARGET?

Under the sweeping India-U.S. deal announced in July, Washington hopes to boost New Delhi's nuclear power programme to meet its growing energy needs.

In trying to do so, President George W. Bush has reversed nearly 30 years of efforts to oppose India's nuclear programme.

India, through its latest comments, was aiming to reassure sections of the U.S. Congress opposed to the landmark deal and some countries such as Sweden and Japan who are wary of India's entry into the 44-nation Nuclear Suppliers' Group, officials said.

Saran was also hoping to blunt strong criticism from Indian communist parties who shore up the federal coalition and have been outraged by New Delhi's vote against old friend Iran's nuclear programme at the IAEA last month, they said.

Indian analysts have said that New Delhi -- known for its good non-proliferation record even though it is not a member of the global Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- had so far not projected its nuclear case well while neighbour Pakistan was getting away despite A.Q. Khan's shocking admissions.

Saran said global apprehension and negative perception about India's nuclear policy were misplaced.

"In considering its approach towards the resumption of full civil nuclear energy cooperation with India, the international community has to ask itself whether India is a partner or a target for the global non-proliferation regime," Saran said.

"It clearly cannot be both at the same time. Our view is that India's commitment and India's record points to it being a partner," he said

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