PTI terms Canada’s supply of uranium to India discriminatory

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Central Information Secretary Dr Shireen M Mazari Thursday criticised the Canadian government for agreeing to supply uranium to India as well as to export civilian nuclear technology to India all of which, being in direct contravention of Articles I and II of the Non Proliferation Treaty to which Canada is a signatory.
The US$283 million contract is for the supply of 7.1 million pounds of uranium concentrate over the next five years, for use in the fast growing Indian nuclear power plants. The deal comes in the wake of Indian PM Modi’s visit to Canada. Modi is on a buying spree linked to India’s nuclear and defence capabilities. Before Canada Modi was on an official visit to France where he held talks for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets in a multi-billion-euro agreement, she said in a statement here.
Mazari said it was unacceptable that a discriminatory approach has been adopted by Canada and other members of the NPT, who are prepared to violate the treaty for commercial profits and sell nuclear material and technology to India while denying Pakistan the same. Canada had earlier also punished Pakistan for India’s nuclear tests in 1974 when it withdrew assistance to KANUPP despite the civil reactor being under IAEA safeguards.
She pointed out that Canada’s pretensions towards nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament stand exposed once again when it has chosen to undermine the NPT by contravening its commitments under Articles I and II for commercial benefits and appeasement of India.
Mazari said the selective and discriminatory approach towards nonproliferation that has come to the fore after the Indo-US nuclear agreement not only shows that nonproliferation is not the issue but the nuclear programme of certain states only is, who coincidentally happen to be Muslim states; but also that Pakistan made a wise and correct decision to acquire nuclear weapon capability in the face of this discriminatory approach to non proliferation.