By Maria Sultan
Pakistan needs to develop a peaceful nuclear programme with enhanced safety measures in order to overcome the existing energy shortage, according to South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI) Director General Maria Sultan.
Dr Maria Sultan said this while addressing a meeting titled “Future of Pakistan’s Nuclear Programme and Nuclear World Order,” in the National Press Club on Saturday. She said that Pakistan has a significant role to play in the new nuclear order.
Only nine countries, which include P-5, China, Italy and Norway, are able to provide nuclear technology and train manpower. She said that Pakistan could exploit the $3 trillion nuclear exports market in the Middle East because it possesses nuclear scientists, knowledge of nuclear technology, and equipment.
The director general said that Pakistan’s nuclear facilities are safe from natural disasters. Revealing details about the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant, she said that the design of its structure gives it a certain degree of protection against natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant had also been built along similar lines, she said.
She said that nuclear energy is the only option for various countries of the world to fulfil their energy needs and Pakistan can capture this market by offering to share its expertise and services in this field.
Referring to the US-India nuclear deal, she said that the deal had caused structural decay to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Dr Sultan said it has led to the destabilisation of the strategic stability of the region, as India is authorised under the deal to create strategic reserves of fissile materials.
Pointing out that India could export its nuclear technology to other countries after becoming a part of the Nuclear Suppliers Group despite the fact that it has not signed the NPT, she said that Pakistan must be given the same status. She said that New Delhi also had the option to nullify the Indo-US deal at any given time.
She said that under the UN Security Council Resolution 1540, under Chapter 7 in 2004, Pakistan also promulgated laws encompassing exports and control. She said that there was a big crisis as the US made a deal with India when the old non-proliferation regime was still in place.
Commenting on Japan’s nuclear incident, she said that the nuclear reactors at Fukushima and Daiichi were made in the 1970s and, despite upgrades, the latest reactor designs were more advanced and safer.
Speaking on the Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan network, Dr Sultan said that, except Dr Abdul Qadeer, all other members of the network belonged to different countries of the world. She said that Pakistan was not legally bound by any treaty to be held responsible for such individual activities.
To a query, she said that the security of Pakistan’s nuclear facilities was strong enough to prevent any external intrusion.
Earlier, she said that Pakistan’s nuclear programme started as a peaceful programme in the 1950s when US president Eisenhower was pushing through his “Atom for Peace” programme in the UN General Assembly, under which the US provided nuclear reactors to 87 countries for electric power generation. She said that the non-proliferation regime is based on NPT and the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group provides nuclear technology to other countries according to the domestic laws of the supplying nation and under the NPT.
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