ISLAMABAD, Aug 2: The National Command Authority (NCA) has warned that the US-India civil nuclear energy deal, which would enable India to produce significant quantities of fissile material and nuclear weapons from un-safeguarded nuclear reactors, may ignite an arms race and have implications on strategic stability in South Asia.

In what could be described as an indirect criticism of the discriminatory US policy in favour of India, the NCA, which held its first meeting after the US-India agreement, observed: “The objective of strategic stability in South Asia and the global non-proliferation regime would have been better served if the United States had considered a package approach for Pakistan and India, the two non-NPT nuclear weapons states, with a view to preventing a nuclear arms race in the region and promoting restraints while ensuring that the legitimate needs of both countries for civil nuclear power generation are met.”

The authority is responsible for policy formulation and exercises employment and development control over all strategic nuclear forces and strategic organisations. It was formed in February 2000, pursuant to a decision of the National Security Council (NSC).

The meeting held at the strategic planning division was presided over by President Gen Pervez Musharraf and attended by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat, the services chiefs, senior scientists and other civil and military officials.

The participants said that while continuing to act with responsibility in maintaining a credible minimum deterrence and avoiding an arms race, Pakistan would neither be oblivious to its security requirements, nor to the needs of its economic development which demanded growth in the energy sector.

The meeting decided to vigorously pursue the plans for civil nuclear power generation to meet the growing energy demands and ensure consistent economic growth.

The meeting reviewed Pakistan’s objectives and plans for civil nuclear power generation under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, which is part of the overall energy strategy to meet the requirements of economic growth in the country.

It decided to pursue the objective on a priority basis, especially in view of the increasing oil prices.

According to a press release issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the NCA reiterated Pakistan’s position that the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) should evolve a criteria-based approach to enable Pakistan to access civil nuclear energy under IAEA safeguards to meet its growing energy requirements. Pakistan had always fulfilled all its international IAEA safeguard requirements for its nuclear power reactors, and it was ready to accept innovative bilateral and multilateral approaches for establishment of power plants under appropriate safeguards, including nuclear power parks.

The NCA expressed satisfaction at the current state of Pakistan’s strategic deterrence and expressed firm resolve to meet the requirements of future credible minimum deterrence.

The NCA reviewed the current status of negotiations on disarmament issues in the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, and the proposed Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT). The NCA reiterated Pakistan’s position in favour of a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty, taking into account the security concerns of all states.It reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and expressed satisfaction at the steps taken to strengthen export controls, including the setting up of the strategic export control division in the ministry of foreign affairs and the Oversight Board for Export Controls.

Pakistan would continue to work with the international community and its important partners in the global efforts against WMD proliferation, it said.