ISLAMABAD: Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari on Monday said thatPakistan is confronting discrimination at international level in thenuclear field.
Chairing the first session on the Future of the Nuclear Non-ProliferationRegime at the International Conference on “Global Non-Proliferation Regime:Challenges and Response”, the minister maintained that discriminatoryinstruments in Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and policy regarding the newentrant states was a challenge for Pakistan.
“Increasing arms race in South Asia. India’s Ballistic Missile DefenceSystem and US support for India’s NSG membership are undermining strategicstability in South Asia and Pakistan would not join the Treaty onProhibition of Nuclear Weapons in prevailing situation,” said Mazari.
Dr Mazari said that there are problems with the NPT indicating that thosewho need to implement it are violating it.
“US and other signatories have violated the Article 1 and 2 of NPT bysigning new deals with India. With this attitude, countries outside the NPTcannot join it,” the minister explained.
Shireen Mazari added that the world has to stop overlooking and shouldstart discussion on Israel’s nuclear program for any progress onnon-proliferation.
“No one talks about Israel’s nuclear program, we have to start discussingIsrael’s program if we wish to make any progress on non-proliferation,”said Mazari.
She expressed the confidence that the conference would help theparticipants understand the point of view of different countries aboutnuclear non-proliferation.
The conference is being organized by the Strategic Studies InstituteIslamabad. Experts from Iran, Russia, UK, France, China, Egypt and US alongwith Pakistani experts are attending the conference.