India-US nuclear-deal: Pakistan warns of arms race

Islamabad, Jan 30: Pakistan has warned of a renewed arms race in South Asia after India and US reached a breakthrough on nuclear trade.

"Pakistan is examining the imbalance (likely to be caused by these agreements) and the possible ways and means for redressing it," Pakistani Prime Minister's Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said Thursday.

He made the comments at a seminar organised by Islamabad-based think tank Strategic Vision Institute on the implications of US President Barack Obama's second visit to India Jan 25.

In a statement Tuesday on the India-US agreements, Aziz had voiced concern about the adverse impact of the accords on the region's strategic stability and deterrence and pledged to take all measures to safeguard national interests.

The advisor says that US ignored Pakistan's concerns conveyed before President Obama's visit to India

"Pakistan's key concern is the paramount importance of strategic stability in South Asia," Aziz said.

He said India's military build-up through large-scale acquisition of arms from US and Russia, expansion of fissile material production facilities and quest for advanced technology for missile and related delivery systems would accentuate the already existing conventional and nuclear imbalance in South Asia.

The worsening of the strategic imbalance at a time of the heightened Pakistan-India tensions, particularly due to Indian ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and International Border, he said, was extremely worrisome.

The US, he said, ignored concerns of the Pakistan government though Pakistan had "forcefully" conveyed to the US even before President Barack Obama's visit to India.

The US was asked to "take a comprehensive view of strategic imbalance in South Asia and avoid any steps that may jeopardise the region's strategic stability".

The US support for India's candidature for UN Security Council permanent membership and export control regimes, Aziz said, should not be implied as India's automatic entry into these privileged forums.

IANS