US exploring deal to limit Pak nuke arsenal

With regard to statement of an unmanned American official who has precluded a civil nuclear deal with Pakistan and said the two countries would instead hold talks on the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, Aziz said talks on nuclear security had been ongoing for a few time and that the worldwide community was satisfied with the steps taken by Islamabad to secure its atomic weapons. “But the United States and Pakistan are regularly engaged in a dialogue about the importance of nuclear security”.

“However, by putting this on the table publicly the U.S. would have to acknowledge that if Pakistan is unwilling to give up these behaviours, there is nothing else the USA government can do and would have to prepare for a more coercive strategy to manage Pakistan’s rogue behaviours, which include nuclear coercion and terrorism as central features of its foreign policy”, she said. “The expectation that we have is that a deal like the one that’s been discussed publicly is not something that’s likely to come to fruition next week”, Earnest said when pressed about whether Obama and Sharif would talk about it.

“I think it’s worth a try”, Perkovich said. Consider, for instance, the following remark of a senior Indian commentator on the potential U.S.-Pak deal: “it will show how hollow is the strategic relationship between India and the USA, and why it would not be wise to trust the U.S. The India-U.S. nuclear deal will be eroded of much of its strategic importance bilaterally as result”.

“No matter, research is research, and the witch-hunt has begun to limit Pakistan’s nuclear power”.

Pakistani officials denied that any of the country’s leaders knew of Qadeer Khan’s black market activities, a story American officials did not believe because a few of the equipment was shipped on Pakistani Air Force cargo planes.

Reports also indicate that there is a great deal of concern in Rawalpindi about a nuclear deal with the US since the Pakistan Army considers numerous preconditions conveyed to Pakistan to be harmful to its interests.

The US-led training and assistance of Pakistani staff in keeping the arsenal safe and secure continues during the Obama administration.

American officials have told Congress they are increasingly convinced that most of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is under good safeguards, with warheads separated from delivery vehicles and a series of measures in place to guard against unauthorised use. However, smaller weapons could get in hands of any militant organisation.

A Pakistani official said “a lot of homework needs to be done” before talks can advance.

She said we have instituted a stringent national export control system and a robust nuclear security regime that are at par with worldwide standards. It is that problem that Lavoy and others are trying to forestall, along with preventing Pakistan from deploying a few long-range missiles that could reach well beyond India. However, if the USA allows Pakistan to keep its strategic programme alive in order to respond to “legitimate” threats from India, then Rawalpindi will be willing to play the ball.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty due to constant tensions with rival India.

In May USA officials said that Saudi Arabia was in talks with Pakistan to purchase nuclear weapons. Under that agreement, India’s nuclear infrastructure was split with a civilian program that is under global inspection, and a military program that is not.