Western intelligentsia paints wrong picture

Some sections of the western intelligentsia and opinion-making circles have not yet put a stop on their negative propaganda against Pak-China civil nuclear cooperation despite the fact that it is quite limited when compared with the scale of US-India civil nuclear deal and it exclusively aims at meeting Pakistan’s energy deficiency.
Take for example the opinion expressed by American strategist Simon Henderson, the Baker Fellow and director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Program at the Washington Institute. According to Henderson, Pak-China cooperation and Pakistan’s close relationship with other countries amount to nuclear proliferation.
This is quite strange i.e the inclusion of other countries in this propaganda campaign. Even the recent visit by the chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee to Saudi Arabia for condolence of King’s death was taken with concern in the West without any solid reason or rhyme as Simon Henderson alleged that the visit was aimed at finalising a deal for supply of nuclear warheads to Saudi Arabia.
And these scheduled official meetings between General Rashid Mahmood, Saudi King Salman and Defence Minister Prince Muhammad bin Salman, who presented the General with the King Abdulaziz medal of excellence, were overplayed by the western opinion-making circles to minimise the negative impact of the US-India nuclear deal. This ‘play down’ effort is evident from the consistent campaigns undertaken by these circles to show India’s nuclear programme as a legitimate effort to create a nuclear equilibrium in the region, which means equilibrium vis-à-vis Pakistan’s “dangerous and proliferating” (sic) nuclear programme although Pakistan’s N-programme is cent per cent deterrence-oriented.
In fact, the equilibrium mantra is eyewash to cover up certain designs. On the other hand, Pakistan’s long time and dependable strategic partner China has never concealed its political and economic support to Pakistan down the history. In this regard strategic cooperation including civil nuclear engagement has always been a central part of mutual cooperation to strengthen Pakistan’s growing energy needs. Like past China has consented to construct at least six nuclear power projects in Pakistan in order to help Pakistan overcome its energy deficit, especially foreseeing the long term requirements of developing Gwadar port and to meet energy requirements in post Pak - China economic corridor environment. In this regard, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the planning body of China, has assured cooperation in building civil nuclear facilities that will reasonably help Pakistan in overcoming its energy deficit that has drastically caused economic undergrowth of the country.
In the midst of all these developments, a new vista of regional nuclear cooperation seems to be moving forward with some momentum. It is civil nuclear cooperation between India and Sri Lanka.
In the past, India and Sri Lanka had held negotiations for a civil nuclear agreement but they had lost steam when Sri Lankan President Sirisena’s predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa declined to sign a nuclear deal with India. It appears that with Rajapaksa gone, certain powers are keen to wean Sri Lanka away from Pakistan and China.
It is widely believed that even the recent launching of ballistic missile -carrying Indian nuclear submarine Arihant into the sea was a bid to influence smaller regional countries like Sri Lanka to finalise the nuclear deal with India. This move was also meant to send certain messages to the regional powers.