Islamabad, Dec 7, IRNA — Pakistani Foreign Ministry Director General ArmsControl and Disarmament Kamran Akhtar said on Saturday that all parties ofthe Iranian nuclear deal, JCPOA, should abide by their obligations whetherit is one party or the other.
Kamran Akhtar made the remarks in a conference on Peaceful Uses of NuclearTechnology.
Responding to a question of IRNA at the conference said the JCPOA is amodel on how very difficult issues can be resolved through negotiations andpeaceful means.
The conference was organized by the Strategic Vision Institute (SVI) atPakistan Institute for Parliamentary studies (PIPS) in Islamabad.
Kamran Akhtar expressing his views said Pakistan has always maintained thatthe JCPOA was a good agreement and it was a model on how very difficultissues can be resolved through negotiations and peaceful means.
“We continue to support that all parties to agreement should abide by theirobligations whether it is one party or the other, they should abide bytheir obligations,” he noted.
‘We hope that the parties will be able to find an amicable solution totheir problems and keep the agreement intact rather than going the otherway.’
Kamran Akhtar, earlier in his presentation, called for changing thenarrative about Pakistan’s nuclear program from that of deterrence to onefor peaceful uses.
He said that the civilian program constituted a major part of the nuclearprogram and as such needed to be highlighted. Whether it’s in energy,medicine, or agriculture sectors, or for dealing with climate change, thecivilian program, he said, is contributing to the welfare of people andtowards the attainment of sustainable development goals.
Zamir Akram who has served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nationsin Geneva and Conference on Disarmament, in his speech said Pakistan canconsider accepting additional non-proliferation obligations, which aredemanded by Western countries, only if there is an appropriate quid pro quo.
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He talked about the discriminatory attitude of the West towards Pakistan ongiving it access to civil nuclear cooperation.
“We continue to be asked to demonstrate that we are a responsible andreliable nuclear state,” he said.
“We need not compromise on our nuclear program, whether it is civilian ormilitary, in order to get a certificate that we are a responsible nuclearstate,” he maintained.
Akram said that there has been an excessive focus on military part of ‘‘ournuclear program and it is time that the spotlight be shifted to thecivilian part’’.
Former defense production secretary retired Lt Gen Syed Mohammad Owais, whowas the chief guest at the inaugural session, while praising the progressmade by the country towards using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes,said it was a matter of national pride, which also testified to thecountry’s “unhindered focus, commitment and tenacity in achievingself-sufficiency”.
SVI president Dr Zafar Iqbal Cheema, in his remarks, said Pakistan has beenan active player in the global nuclear order promoting non-proliferation,arms control and disarmament.
Dr Cheema observed that Pakistan’s elaborate program for harnessingpeaceful uses of nuclear energy includes power plants, research reactors,agriculture and biotechnology research centers, medical centers, andindustrial applications. He said that a strong civil program was essentialfor advancing economic development plans.
He also mentioned Pakistan’s strong credentials with respect to IAEAsafeguards implementation at its facilities, the presence of a robustregulatory mechanism and a commitment to pursuing and expanding itscivilian program.
