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| US President Barack Obama and Indian PM Narendra Modi during the joint press interaction in New Delhi [PHOTO: Special Arrangements] |
Islamabad: Pakistan has criticized agreements reached during President Barack Obama’s visit to New Delhi earlier this week, including a January 25 breakthrough on a deadlocked civilian nuclear power deal.
The Foreign Ministry in Islamabad said implementing the 2008 civil nuclear deal “for political and economic expediencies would have a detrimental impact” on the stability of nuclear deterrence in South Asia.
Pakistan also objected to U.S. support for India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) under a plan that would exempt New Delhi from some of the group’s export rules.
The multinational group aims to reduce nuclear proliferation by controlling the export of nuclear materials to countries that have not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).
Both Pakistan and India have nuclear weapons, but neither is a member of the NSG.
Islamabad said giving India exemptions from NSG rules while granting it membership would "further compound the already fragile strategic stability environment in South Asia" and weaken nonproliferation efforts.
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