Pakistan deserves an equitable treatment at par with India, not less, not more. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton implicitly acknowledged this reality when she said, “we are committed to helping Pakistan meet its real energy needs."
Democracy Rekindles
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Saturday, May 01, 2010
The US and Pakistan finally seem to be moving into the right direction. Both realise the need to refix the fundamentals of their “transactional” relationship and to engage in a deeper “strategic partnership” based on multifaceted long-term common interests and mutual benefit. This was a clear signal at the end of the recent “strategic dialogue” between the two countries in Washington in which not only the foreign ministers but also the defence ministers and military and intelligence chiefs of the two countries participated.
No miracle was expected and none happened at these high-profile talks. For Pakistan, a realistic expectation from this dialogue was its transformation into a wider “strategic partnership” with clearly defined sectoral goalposts and priorities to be pursued jointly through a constructive engagement. This is exactly what happened as the curtain as drawn on the first-ever ministerial session of their “strategic dialogue.”
A joint statement issued at the end of the talks said the two sides had agreed to expand the scope of their dialogue and established a joint Policy Steering Group to intensify and expand the “strategic dialogue” process which will be conducted at three tiers moving in tandem on an expanded list of sectoral tracks now covering the fields of economy and trade; energy; defense; security, strategic stability and non-proliferation; law enforcement and counter-terrorism; science and technology; education; agriculture; water; health; and communications and public diplomacy.
The joint statement noted that the desire to continue these talks at a higher plane was “in conformity with the importance” that both countries now attached to each other. They agreed to take further steps “to broaden and deepen their comprehensive cooperation and to further fortify the friendship between the two peoples.” They will create an investment fund to support increased foreign direct investment and development in Pakistan which would provide much needed additional support for Pakistan’s energy sector and other high priority areas.
The US re-affirmed its resolve to assist Pakistan in overcoming its socio-economic challenges and to work towards enhanced market access for Pakistani products as well as towards early finalization of the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones legislation. These are all welcome commitments which one hopes will not remain mere commitments and be delivered in implemented tangibles.
Sectoral preparatory meetings are expected soon to evolve a mutually agreed time-bound, goal-specific and result-based cooperative framework before their next ministerial-level meeting in October, if not earlier this year. More focused talks would be held in Islamabad on “strategic stability and non-proliferation,” an area in which Pakistan has special interest given its genuine demand from Washington for a “criteria-based” approach in its civilian nuclear cooperation policies.
While the joint statement made no mention of any discussion on this question, those privy to the talks confirm that the Pakistan side did voice its serious concern on America’s “country-specific” preferential treatment to India and pressed its own case for a similar deal in its capacity as an existential “nuclear-weapon” state. The case, it is learnt, was presented with greater confidence and coherence thanks to the proper homework this time with direct participation of the military and security stakeholders.
According to diplomatic observers in Washington, the very inclusion of “strategic stability and non-proliferation” in the sectoral dialogue with special focus in the joint statement is the beginning of serious “business” on a possible US nuclear arrangement with Pakistan at par with India. In fact, according to some reports, unpublicized talks on the nuclear issue have already been taking place between the two sides for sometime, and are now getting more focused in the context of “strategic stability and non-proliferation” as a formal agenda item of their ongoing sectoral dialogue.
A glimpse of Pakistan’s case was flashed loud and clear at a meeting of Pakistan’s National Command Authority (NCA), the apex civil-military body responsible for custodial controls and safety and security of Pakistan’s strategic assets which at a meeting chaired by the civilian elected prime minister staked its legitimate claim “for equal participation in the civil nuclear cooperation at the international level” and called for a “non-discriminatory approach in international cooperation in the peaceful uses of the nuclear energy.
Pakistan deserves an equitable treatment at par with India, not less, not more. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton implicitly acknowledged this reality when she said, “we are committed to helping Pakistan meet its real energy needs." In this context, NCA underscored the fact that Pakistan’s socio-economic development was dependent on its ability to meet rapidly expanding energy requirements. “There was a need to explore all options to ensure a reliable energy mix. The civil nuclear power generation was, therefore, an essential part of the national energy security strategy,” said the NCA announcement.
Pakistan's status as a declared nuclear-weapons state is already a globally recognised fact. The US itself recognised this status immediately after our nuclear tests on May 28 and 30, 1998, following India's on May 11 and 13. This recognition was manifest in the eight-round dialogue the US had with India and Pakistan on equal terms to seek their cooperation on certain security benchmarks.
At the end of this dialogue, a clear nuclear parity was established between the two countries in the form of an implicit “strategic linkage” for eligibility to “equal of treatment” in terms of future concessions including access to technology.
For whatever reason that linkage was scrubbed during the following years, Pakistan has now restored its credentials as a responsible nuclear power by putting in place proper legislative controls and effective administrative mechanisms on export controls. The nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation measures are also supported by extensive legislative, regulatory and administrative framework guaranteeing the safety and security of nuclear materials and facilities. There is no threat to our nuclear assets from within or without.
The concerns and fears about the effectiveness and safety of our nuclear assets are no longer valid. The A Q Khan chapter is closed now. Pakistan has a command & control system that is based on international guidelines including those of the IAEA. Pakistan is already operating nuclear power plants, and has highly trained manpower and a well-established safety and security culture. It fully qualifies for equal participation in the civil nuclear cooperation at the international level.
Pakistan is now pressing Washington for a nuclear cooperation arrangement similar to the one the US has with India. The Obama administration, on its part, while stressing the importance of safety of Pakistan’s nuclear assets, is apparently also seeking to dispel the Pakistani fears that the United States was secretly plotting to seize the country's nuclear assets. There are now reliable signals from Washington that the Obama administration was seriously engaged in "steps to address Pakistani security concerns."
According to a Wall Street Journal report, the US is now actively lobbying for "more pressure" on New Delhi to ease tensions between India and Pakistan and to address Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns in the context of India’s role in Afghanistan. It has been revealed that US President Barack Obama had issued a "secret directive" to intensify diplomacy towards this purpose. According to some reports, President Obama also spoke to Afghanistan’s President Karzai in the same connection.
For whatever reason that linkage was scrubbed during the following years, Pakistan has now restored its credentials as a responsible nuclear power by putting in place proper legislative controls and effective administrative mechanisms on export controls. The nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation measures are also supported by extensive legislative, regulatory and administrative framework guaranteeing the safety and security of nuclear materials and facilities. There is no threat to our nuclear assets from within or without.
The concerns and fears about the effectiveness and safety of our nuclear assets are no longer valid. The A Q Khan chapter is closed now. Pakistan has a command & control system that is based on international guidelines including those of the IAEA. Pakistan is already operating nuclear power plants, and has highly trained manpower and a well-established safety and security culture. It fully qualifies for equal participation in the civil nuclear cooperation at the international level.
Pakistan is now pressing Washington for a nuclear cooperation arrangement similar to the one the US has with India. The Obama administration, on its part, while stressing the importance of safety of Pakistan’s nuclear assets, is apparently also seeking to dispel the Pakistani fears that the United States was secretly plotting to seize the country's nuclear assets. There are now reliable signals from Washington that the Obama administration was seriously engaged in "steps to address Pakistani security concerns."
According to a Wall Street Journal report, the US is now actively lobbying for "more pressure" on New Delhi to ease tensions between India and Pakistan and to address Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns in the context of India’s role in Afghanistan. It has been revealed that US President Barack Obama had issued a "secret directive" to intensify diplomacy towards this purpose. According to some reports, President Obama also spoke to Afghanistan’s President Karzai in the same connection.
It is indeed heartening that the US is now beginning to show practical sensitivity to Pakistan’s legitimate India-specific concerns and security interests in Afghanistan. Another remedial step required from Washington is the removal of strategic imbalances in the region that have fuelled an arms race between the two nuclear-capable neighbours with an escalatory effect on their military budgets and arsenals.
What we need in this region are mutual arrangements between India and Pakistan for maintenance of military balance and non-induction of destabilizing weapon systems.
We are opposed to a nuclear and conventional arms race in South Asia and in pursuit of this objective we have been pursuing an initiative for a Strategic Restraint Regime with India involving three interlocking elements, namely, conflict resolution, nuclear and missile restraint and conventional balance. In the context of Composite Dialogue, Pakistan has also finalized a number of nuclear and conventional CBMs with India.
The US could best serve the cause of peace in South Asia by encouraging the resumption of the stalled Composite Dialogue between the two nuclear-capable neighbours. But peace in this region would remain incomplete without the Pakistan-India issues being addressed, which are not without direct impact on the overall situation in the Afghan theatre. The risk of a Pakistan-India proxy war in Afghanistan is fraught with perilous implications for regional and global peace, and must be averted at any cost. This is what Washington must ensure before it is too late.
We are opposed to a nuclear and conventional arms race in South Asia and in pursuit of this objective we have been pursuing an initiative for a Strategic Restraint Regime with India involving three interlocking elements, namely, conflict resolution, nuclear and missile restraint and conventional balance. In the context of Composite Dialogue, Pakistan has also finalized a number of nuclear and conventional CBMs with India.
The US could best serve the cause of peace in South Asia by encouraging the resumption of the stalled Composite Dialogue between the two nuclear-capable neighbours. But peace in this region would remain incomplete without the Pakistan-India issues being addressed, which are not without direct impact on the overall situation in the Afghan theatre. The risk of a Pakistan-India proxy war in Afghanistan is fraught with perilous implications for regional and global peace, and must be averted at any cost. This is what Washington must ensure before it is too late.
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