By Mirza Kashif Baig
Editor, Monthly Interaction
Acquiring and enhancing defensive capability to the extent that a country has a viable deterrent against the ill will of its enemies is a fundamental right. While in principle it’s justified to apply regulations and impose controls to ensure that this right is not misused, but it is criminal to bully countries to protect the interest of the selected few. Pakistan is an unrecognized nuclear power only because the west deems it a crime.
They wished for nuclear technology to remain in their hands only, which would make it easier to exploit the rest of the world. Pakistan conducted its nuke test in response to India as a viable deterrent. It was essential for Pakistan’s existence, considering the history of the two countries, to restore the regional balance of power and since then Pakistan maintains a minimum deterrence policy that is India-specific while posing to threat to anyone.
Pakistan’s nuclear program is one of the safest in the world and has always behaved responsibly. Currently, there are four unrecognized nuclear powers Pakistan, India, North Korea, and Israel. Out of these countries Pakistan, despite having one of the safest nuclear programs as acknowledged by IAEA, has remained on the west’s target list for quite some time.
Various sanctions have been imposed on the country and many times Pakistan has been the target of propaganda to coerce the nation into biased legally binding treaties to compromise Pakistan’s nuclear program. One such example is “The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons” (TPNW), which includes a comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any nuclear weapon activities.
These include undertakings not to develop, test, produce, acquire, possess, stockpile, use or threaten to use nuclear weapons. The Treaty also prohibits the deployment of nuclear weapons on national territory and the provision of assistance to any State in the conduct of prohibited activities. States parties will be obliged to prevent and suppress any activity prohibited under the TPNW undertaken by persons or on territory under its jurisdiction or control.
The Treaty also obliges States parties to provide adequate assistance to individuals affected by the use or testing of nuclear weapons, as well as to take necessary and appropriate measure of environmental remediation in areas under its jurisdiction or control contaminated as a result of activities related to the testing or use of nuclear weapons. While this treaty paints a rosy picture but it is objectionable in many ways. This treaty was negotiated outside the established UN disarmament negotiating forums and none of the nuclear powers, including Pakistan, were part of the negotiation process. This treaty, therefore, cannot be considered as it doesn’t account for the interests of nuclear-armed countries for whom it is created.
This is an important aspect because at the first special session for nuclear disarmament of the UN General Assembly in 1978 it agreed with the consensus that any disarmament measures adopted will be done while bearing in mind the right of security of each state. Also, for each stage of disarmament, the objective would be undiminished security for all states at the lowest possible level of armaments and military forces.
This objective can only be achieved with cooperation and a universally agreed undertaking, with the consent of all the relevant stakeholders which is aimed at achieving equal and undiminished security for all states. This treaty doesn’t take into account the interests of the relevant stakeholders something which was agreed upon in UN General Assembly in 1978 regarding all issues pertaining to disarmament.
As a result this Pakistan is not bound by this treaty and any of its obligations. Pakistan maintains that this treaty is not in any way legally binding. Any negotiations on the matter of disarmament should be done through Conference on Disarmament (CD) as it is the sole recognized body for this matter. While Pakistan maintains its commitment towards nuclear disarmament but any conclusion on the matter should be by way of a universal, verifiable and non-discriminatory convention on nuclear weapons that is best achieved through the forum of CD.