Pakistan on Friday submitted a formal application for membership of the Nuclear Supplies Group (NSG), a club of nuclear trading nations,
In a letter addressed to the NSG chairman, Pakistan’s ambassador in Vienna, stated that the country has the expertise, manpower, infrastructure, as well as the ability to supply NSG controlled items, goods and services for a full range of nuclear applications for peaceful purposes.
“Pakistan attaches high priority to nuclear safety and security. It has taken legal, regulatory and administrative measures to bring nuclear safety and security at par with international standards,” reads the letter.
Foreign office spokesman, in a statement, said that Pakistan’s NSG membership will further the club’s non-proliferation objectives as the country has nuclear supply capabilities and it also adheres to NSG guidelines.
The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a 48-nation club dedicated to curbing nuclear arms proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that could foster nuclear weapons development.
Pakistan’s application is likely to lead to a showdown in the group which has also been facing calls to induct India as a member.
China could also insist, as a condition of India’s membership, that Pakistan also be allowed to join, a potential hard sell due to Islamabad’s development of new tactical nuclear weapons.
The NSG, which was created in response to India’s first nuclear test in 1974, is expected to hold its next meeting in June.
