NEW DELHI: India said on Monday it was ratifying an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to expand oversight of its civilian nuclear programme, in a move aimed at unblocking a major nuclear partnership with the United States.

The ratification sends a strong signal that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to bolster strategic and trade ties with the United States when he meets President Barack Obama in Washington in September.

“I can confirm that we are ratifying the Additional Protocol to the IAEA Safeguards Agreement,” said Syed Akbaruddin, spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs.

The move signals India’s commitment “to the responsible use of nuclear power”, Akbaruddin added, confirming earlier domestic reports. No comment was available from the IAEA.

Yet critics say the pact fails to address concerns that India could as a result get its foot in the door of a club of countries that trade in nuclear materials, without first signing a treaty that seeks to curb the spread of nuclear weapons.

There would be “no gain for non-proliferation” said Tariq Rauf, a former senior IAEA official now at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2014