WHILE defending his country’s recent lifting of the longstanding ban on uranium exports to India, Australia’s Defence Minister Stephen Smith rebuffed suggestions that this would open the door to countries like Pakistan (Dec 9).

He justified it by saying that India -- which, like Pakistan, is not a signatory to the NPT – “is the world’s largest democracy.

There has never been any serious suggestion or evidence of proliferation on India’s part. Whereas Pakistan does not have the same record as far as proliferation is concerned. There have been serious expressions of concern about proliferation in the past”.

One recalls Washington’s Bush-era overtures to New Delhi by way of a unique, civilian nuclear deal that trashed India’s rejection of the NPT. The American president also offered India the latest weapons. And now Australia’s U-turn on uranium export to India, is all part of the US-led effort to contain and encircle China by winning over India and helping it become a counterweight to Beijing militarily.

While playing up India’s democracy and supposedly good non-proliferation record, the US, Australia and other western countries are conveniently ignoring some facts.

First, India’s democracy is deeply flawed. Apart from occupying a large part of Kashmir in 1948, India had also annexed several princely states like Junagadh, Manavadar and Hyderabad after the 1947 partition, which had wanted either to join Pakistan or remain independent.

Ironically, Australian defence analyst Sandy Gordon had written in his book, “India’s Rise to Power in the Twentieth Century and Beyond”, that India was trying to impose its own version of the Monroe Doctrine on its South Asian neighbours, even by imposing economic blockades, as in the case of landlocked-Nepal, or using its military might to bully Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Owing to the distorted vision caused by their Sino and Islamic phobias, the West is overlooking these facts, as also the Naxalite insurgency, which is officially acknowledged as the biggest security threat to India.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and its ongoing aftermath have tremendously hurt us. However, after things settle down, Pakistan will be the next Asian tiger, God willing.

Thus, the emerging global Islamic entity will provide a moderating effect and due to its good relations with China could smooth out China-West ties.

QAMAR IQBAL Karachi