NEW DELHI, Feb 6: Indian scientists engaged in the country’s nuclear weapons programme have expressed fears over a civilian nuclear deal with the United States because they see a possible trap in it to curb New Delhi’s sovereign quest for future research, The Indian Express said on Monday.

The newspaper, which had so far supported the July 18 civilian technology pact between President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seems to have changed its stance recently.

It quoted Chairman of India’s Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar as saying that Washington’s request for placing specific nuclear facilities on the civilian programme amounts to changing “the goalpost”.

Calling himself the “biggest champion of the July 18 nuclear deal,” Mr Kakodkar, who is also secretary of the department of atomic energy, told the newspaper that “this determination (of what goes on which list, civilian or military) has to be made by the Indians...(for) India’s strategic interests will have to be decided by India and not by others”.

Mr Kakodkar, citing the agreement, listed the nuclear facilities that were exempted from the civilian list first shared with Washington.

These include the fast breeder reactor programme, all facilities at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre near Mumbai, the uranium-enrichment facilities off Mysore and “some” of the indigenously developed power reactors, the ones needed to fuel the fast breeder programme.

Placing the fast breeder programme in the civilian list, Mr Kakodkar said, “will not be in our strategic interest” both for long-term energy security and for maintaining nuclear-weapons capabilities.

“Both, from the point of view of maintaining long-term energy security and for maintaining the minimum credible deterrent (as defined by the nuclear doctrine) the fast breeder programme just cannot be put on the civilian list. This would amount to getting shackled and India certainly cannot compromise one for the other,” he said.