Pak wants India-type waiver for civil nuclear programme

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Jan 17 (PTI) Pakistan has said it wants an
exemption from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the lines of the
waiver given to India to boost its civil nuclear energy
generation capacity with Chinese help.

Pakistan did not oppose the NSG's waiver of its rules
last year to allow India to acquire atomic technology and
know-how because it expected similar treatment from the world
community, Prime Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said.

He said Islamabad is seeking additional atomic power
plants from China and would like exemption from NSG and IAEA
for supply of technology for peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Referring to the India-US civil nuclear deal, Gilani told
Japan's Kyodo News that Pakistan expected similar treatment
from the world community.

He said he had told Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
that it was because of this reason that Pakistan did not
object to the approval of the India-US deal by the NSG.

Gilani ruled out possibility of giving the IAEA access to
disgraced scientist A Q Khan, who has been under house arrest
since early 2004, when he admitted to running a nuclear
proliferation ring.

Gilani also denied there was any US pressure to roll back
Pakistan's nuclear programme.

He said there was no point in providing the UN nuclear
watchdog any access to Khan, on whom the US has recently
slapped sanctions, as "his network is broken and there is no
need for any other information."

Gilani said US had stopped making demands about freezing
or rolling back Pakistan's nuclear programme. "We are
following international norms and I do not think there are any
(US) concerns at the moment," he said when asked if Washington
had stopped demanding that Islamabad should abandon, freeze or
roll back its nuclear programme.

Responding to an announcement by US President-elect
Barack Obama about deploying additional foreign troops in
Afghanistan, Gilani said this would intensify fighting in the
war-torn country.

The new US administration-in-waiting has announced that
it will withdraw troops from Iraq and concentrate on
Afghanistan.

"That means there would be more fighting in Afghanistan,"
Gilani said, adding that it might happen despite the fact that
the al-Qaeda terror network has become weaker.

He disputed the assertion that al-Qaeda has gained a
foothold in Pakistan's tribal areas. "I also at times feel
that there is no al-Qaeda in Pakistan's tribal areas. These
are all Taliban and you can call them any other name."

Referring to the move backed by Saudi Arabia and
Pakistani and Afghan tribal chiefs to foster dialogue between
the Afghan Taliban and the US, Gilani said: "It is just a
move. It is not something concrete."

Gilani said the move came out of the mini tribal jirga
held in Islamabad in October 2008. "They (jirga members) have
had consultations in their initial meetings and they want
something to go further and there should be talks."

Gilani said former President Pervez Musharraf had entered
into an agreement with the US for providing logistic and other
facilities to American troops in Afghanistan. He claimed the
details of this agreement were not known to the army,
government or parliament. However, this agreement has been
institutionalised.

Asked about earlier reports that money paid by the US for
coalition support activities had not reached the Pakistan
Army, Gilani said some doubts had arisen because Musharraf had
held the three key posts of army chief, president and chief
executive.