Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

India may sign NPT, CTBT if conditions met

Now that it has built up an adequate database for the development of nuclear warheads, and has the technology for subcritical nuclear tests (permitted under the CTBT), New Delhi may drop its objections towards signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee gave an indication of this when he announced a moratorium on further nuclear tests by India, a prohibition that has continued despite the two series of (China-aided) explosions by Pakistan on May 28 and 30. As for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, despite not signing it, India has fully abided by it, unlike China, which though being a signatory has transferred - and is still transferring - prohibited technology to Pakistan.

However, India will reject the demand to sign both treaties "unconditionally.'' New Delhi is incensed by the June 5 declaration of the United Nations Security Council, which endorses Beijing's nuclear weapons monopoly in Asia. "It is hypocritical that a leading proliferator, China, should have given lectures to India, which has not transferred strategic technologies outside its borders even once,''said a high-level official source, adding that "why the United States and Britain want to ensure Communist Chinese hegemony in Asia is a mystery.'' It is learnt that Russia, and to a lesser extent France, were responsible for toning down the initial "extremely harsh'' Chinese-drafted resolution. "However, Russia's economic problems are being used by the United States to blackmail Moscow into falling in line with the Chinese strategy,'' a senior Indian diplomat said.

As chairman of the G-8, the United Kingdom has followed Washington and Beijing in delivering a series of imperial-sounding warnings to India. The attempt is to ensure that "China does not face any challenge strategically in Asia. As for Pakistan, this country is Beijing's ally in containing India,'' said a high official, adding that "India seeks a multipolar Asia, just as it does a multipolar world.'' He made it clear that New Delhi would not accept any restraints on its missile programmes, which are "purely for deterrence.'' The Communist Chinese have "forgotten their own 1950-90 condemnation of `world policemen,' and become a policeman themselves,'' he added.

While Beijing and Washington had informally lobbied for Chapter 7 sanctions - such as those inflicted on Iran and Iraq - both Russia and France opposed this. Thus the statement was issued under Chapter 6 of the UN Charter, which is not mandatory. New Delhi expects its strategic ally Russia to ensure that any Beijing-Washington plan to impose mandatory sanctions gets vetoed. New Delhi, while examining the option of signing the NPT and the CTBT in its present form, is likely to insist on a binding commitment from all nuclear weapon states to implement a time-bound programme of disarmament. It may also call attention to the overt proliferation that resulted in the Pakistan explosions.

New Delhi is watching efforts by London and Washington to bring Kashmir back onto the international agenda, this time with Chinese support. "They will never learn. It was tried in the 1950s, then in the 1960s, and now in the 1990s. "The ground reality is that Kashmir is a part of India and will remain so,'' an official said.