China helped Pak to block India's Nuclear Suppliers Group membership bid: Sartaj Aziz

Islamabad: Pakistan along with its "all-weather" ally China has successfully blocked India's bid to become a member of the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group, Pakistan Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said.

India has been seeking membership to the 48-member nuclear club, whose members can trade in and export nuclear technology. NSG is a powerful multinational body concerned with reducing nuclear proliferation.

Pakistan with the cooperation of China had successfully blocked India's bid to seek membership of the NSG, Aziz told the Senate yesterday.

While countries like the US have backed India's membership in the NSG, China has remained ambiguous on the issue.

China's Foreign Ministry had called for "prudence and caution" over expanding the NSG.

Asked whether China wants to back any other country's entry into NSG, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying had said, "as for the expansion of the group, the members should make the decision on consensus after thorough discussions. India's inclusion into this group is an internal matter of the group. It needs prudence and caution and thorough discussions among all members."

"We support such discussion and we also support India's inclusion into this group if it meets all the requirements," she had said in January last year.

In November, media reports said China had assured Islamabad that if India is granted membership of the NSG, China would ensure that Pakistan also joined the group.

Pakistan has been saying that if it is deprived of NSG membership while India is accommodated, it would be taken as discrimination and lead to an imbalance in the region. Chinese and Pakistani leaders have views their relationship as "all-weather".

PTI