Pakistan itself paved way for NSG waiver to India

Haqqani says decision was taken by govt in Islamabad,
not by its embassy in Washington

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan that paved way for India in 2008 to help get a waiver from Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) for the civil nuclear trade, has woke up only in 2016 to oppose Indian bid for the NSG membership which is more about one’s status as a nuclear power.

As for the benefits of NSG membership, India has been gaining them since 2008 even as a non-member state, courtesy Pakistan that decided at the eleventh hour to withdraw its objections over India-specific safeguard agreement with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in August 2008. Approval of this agreement led towards the grant of exemption by NSG permitting member states to carry out nuclear trade with India, a non-NPT country.

India couldn’t have been succeeded in getting a waiver from NSG had Pakistan blocked the approval of safeguard agreement it signed with International Atomic Energy Agency. Pakistan is member of IAEA’s board that decides by consensus, not by majority votes.

Ironically, NSG was founded in response to the nuclear tests by India in 1974 with an intention to prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology used for nuclear weapons. Now, efforts are afoot to make India as member of NSG.

Diplomatic sources privy to details say that several Latin American and European countries were opposed to the Indian bid of getting signed safeguard agreement with IAEA. They however wanted Pakistan to take lead being the arch rival and nuclear power.

The then-ambassador in Vienna, M. Shehbaz, had filed objections before IAEA board in opposition to the agreement demanding certain amendments instead of blanket endorsement, he was however directed from Islamabad to back out from the stated position.

Officials at Foreign Office claim this was done on the directions of President Asif Zardari who succumbed to the US pressure. However, Zameer Akram, Pakistan’s former permanent representative at UN in Geneva, claimed last year that PPP government had manipulated this issue on the calling of Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington by that time.  

Haqqani had pressured the government into backing out from the position taken against India by Pakistani ambassador in Vienna that was eventually done, Zameer Akram claimed while addressing a seminar at the Strategic Vision Institute in December 2015 that was reported in media.

“Pakistan had even arranged support of friends, including China, for the move. But, before the board could meet Mr Haqqani conveyed to Islamabad about the feared consequences of opposing the agreement,” an English daily quoted Zameer addressing the seminar.

The pressure worked and Pakistan agreed to not call for a vote or block passage of the India safeguards agreement in the Aug 1, 2008, IAEA board of governors’ meeting.

Haqqani however refuted Zameer allegations. “The decision to not waste time trying to block the agreement in IAEA was taken by the Pakistan government in Islamabad, not the Pakistan embassy I headed at that time in Washington DC,” Haqqani replied then.

“The fact is that Pakistan simply did not have votes in IAEA to stop the US-India deal. China does not have a veto in IAEA that Pakistan could invoke. As ambassador to US, I only conveyed the US perspective on the matter to the Pakistan government, as was my duty.

“If he (Zameer) has a beef with the 2008 decision, he should criticise the then heads of government and the Foreign Office, not his already unfairly maligned colleague.”

India has since signed civil nuclear deals with different countries including US, UK, France, Japan and other countries hence the benefits of NSG membership are already being enjoyed. The formal entry into this elite group is more symbolic at a time when exemptions have already been granted to India.

As Pakistan has geared up efforts with the blessing of China, NSG member, the chances of India becoming member have dwindled. Pakistan has demanded criteria-based selection instead of discriminatory approach.