Daily Times

Sir: Please refer to a news story reported in the media stating that a top Obama administration official has said that China’s move to build nuclear power plants in Pakistan is not consistent with the rules of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the US has raised this issue in its bilateral meetings with the communist nation. The objection reflects the hypocritical double standards of the US.

The notion is further strengthened in the background of the US treatment of Pakistan’s neighbouring nation. In 2008, the NSG, under the pressure of the US of course, exempted India from the requirement adopted by the group in 1992 banning nuclear cooperation with any state that had not accepted the comprehensive safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). That move allowed India to engage in nuclear trade with NSG members. India is now bidding for NSG membership. It is argued that exempting India once again from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) condition would undermine the Group itself.
On the one hand, India is being facilitated with what Pakistan is being denied. These double standards should end now and the rules should be applicable to all, across the board. A ‘forbidden fruit’ cannot be made accessible to one and denied to others. Pakistan should use all diplomatic channels to expose the hypocrisy of the superpower that once was. The Chinese government should also show a mirror to the Obama administration regarding their pick and choose policy based on double standards in international relations.
SAIMA QAZI
Islamabad