LONDON: British jets sold to India could be adapted to carry nuclear weapons or used to train pilots to fly nuclear-capable aircraft, the UK government has admitted. The admission, in a series of written parliamentary answers, prompted angry reactions on Tuesday from members of the British parliament (MPs) who said the sales flew in the face of the UK government’s commitment to sustainable development, its guidelines covering arms exports, and its pledge not to encourage nuclear proliferation.

The British government is mounting an intensive campaign to sell 60 Hawk jets worth $ 1.4 billion, in spite of the danger of the India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir spilling into war destabilizing the entire region. BAE Systems has already sold Jaguar combat aircraft to India in licensing deals which the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) refuses to disclose.

Asked what steps the MoD had taken to ensure that the Jaguar jets would not be modified for nuclear weapons use, Dr Lewis Moonie, the junior defence minister, replied: “Any aircraft capable of delivering a bomb is capable of modification to enable it to deliver a nuclear weapon.”

He referred to the government’s pledges not to sell any equipment which could contribute to India’s nuclear programme, and that licences would be used only if there were “no end use concerns”. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the licensing deal is for 126 Jaguar aircraft. Plans are under way to upgrade their performance with Israeli help.

Menzies Campbell, the UK Liberal Democrat’s foreign affairs spokesman, said on Tuesday: “I should be extremely alarmed if there was any suggestion that either with arms sales or training the UK was assisting India to enhance its nuclear capabilities. So long as India declines to sign the non-proliferation treaty the UK should not be contributing to India’s nuclear programme.”

Baldry said the deals were not consistent with the government’s publicly stated concern about the impact of arms sales on sustainable development. “What the Indian government would spend on Hawk jets amounts to a decade of UK bilateral aid,” he said.

The MoD’s refusal to answer questions about the Jaguar licensing deals and any promises made about their end use was also seized on by Campbell. “It yet again underlines the overwhelming need for greater transparency and puts into sharp focus the whole question of guarantees.”

Paul Eavis, director of the independent campaigning group Saferworld, said: “It is alarming that, under licence from a UK company, India is building Jaguar aircraft that are capable of delivering nuclear weapons and the UK government has no control over it.”—Dawn/The Guardian News Service.