Critical Response of Pakistan on the Indian Nuclear Ambitions: From indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal to Inclusion into NSC

摘要

India is known to be pursuing a long-term three-stage nuclear energy program for many decades which is essentially, at the first stage, planned to build a breed of heavy water power reactors that would generate Plutonium to fuel breeder reactors, and then it would build another breed of advanced heavy water reactor which could use extra oxide fuel especially Thorium. At present, India has not been able to fully implement the second stage. It hasn't even been able to commission its first prototype fast breeder reactor. The official Indian position has been that eight power reactors and the breeder program are outside the IAEA safeguards as part of India's strategic stockpile. It is assumed that India will be keeping spent fuel Plutonium produced in these reactors, outside the IAEA Safeguards to be used as part of the second stage which is to fuel the breeder fleet. This was in fact accepted in 2008 as part of IAEA separation plan. Contrary to Indian claims that it would be building 5 to 6 breeder reactors, New Delhi is still not able to commission the first reactor. Therefore this study makes the point that the availability of 16 tons civil Plutonium outside IAEA safeguards could be diverted to weapons use. With ability to reprocess the spent fuel through her four reprocessing plants and inclusion of another one, India would be able to enhance its reprocessing capacity up to 2000 tons until next decade. This issue highlights Indian gambling on her commitments related to separation between civil and military nuclear activities. Pakistan must not become prey to Indian gambling and must expose her lies at appropriate forums particularly NSG with that of presenting Islamabad's bid to join the export control cartel. Also Islamabad should not hesitate to highlight Indian nuclear ambitions to offset the strategic stability in South Asia. This article has attempted to present holistic viewpoint to understand Indian motivation to join NSG with that of United States attempt to construct new security environment in South Asia that it initiated through strategic civil nuclear deal.